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New Travels 

IN THE 

United States of America 



// By 
J.' P. Brissot DeWarville 



Great American 
Historical Classics Series 



Historical Publications Compiiiy 

C. S. Van Tassel, Manager 

(Home Office) Bowlina Green, Ohio 






e=n-? 



Copyright. 1919. by 
C. S. Van Tassel 



311 : J5£r 



bh. 



Introduction to Present Edition 

"New Travels in the Uuited States"' Ls without (louht 
one of the most reiuaikable human interest doeuments 
ilealing with tlie period of \vliic]i it treats, I'ver written. 
Unfortunately, the author did not live to realize the results 
for which he strove — the Idrth of a new France- 
He visited America to study the people and conditions 
of a new country which had so valiently gained her inde- 
pendence ; to report upon her social, political, and economic 
conditions; and he makes the declaration that "A people 
without morals may acquire liberty, but without morals, 
they cannot preserve it." He believed the United States 
possessed the morals to preserve liberty. 

The author's rather long preface is a document worthy 
of careful reading', and while in republishing the work the 
preliminary letteis dealing with matteis before he starts 
his real travels in the United States, might have been 
omitted, this would have destroyed tlie effect of the com- 
I)lete woi'k. 

One biogi-ajiher says, Jean Pierre Brissot, who assumed 
the name De W'arville, a celebrated Girondist, was born 
of hundile parents at Chartres in January, ITo-t. He re- 
ceived a good education, and entered the office of a lawyer 
at Paris. His first works, TJicorie cics Lois CriniineUes 
(1781) and BihliolJirqiic PhiJnf!opJii(/iic dn Tjef/islatenr 
(1782), were on the philosophy of law, and showed how 
thoroughly Brissot was ind)ued with the ethical precepts 
of Rousseau. He paid a visit to the United States, and re- 
turned just at the outbreak of the TJevolution. Into this 
great movement Brissot threw himself lieart and soul. He 
edited the Patriote Francais, and being a well informed, 

3 



4 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

capable man, soon began to take a prominent part in af- 
fairs. In the national assembly lie leagued himself with 
the party, well-known in liistory as (he Girondists, but 
then frequently called the Brissotins. Of this party he 
was in many respects the ruling spirit. Vergniaud cer- 
tainly was far superior to him in oratory, but Brissot was 
quick, eager, impetuous, and a man of wide knowledge. 
But he was at the same time timid and not qualified to 
struggle against the fierce energies roused by the events 
of the Kevolution. His party fell before the "Mountain"; 
.sentence or arrest was passed against the leading members 
of it on June 2, 1793. 

Brissot, persuaded by his friends, attempted to escape 
in disguise, but was arrested at Moulins. His demeanor 
at the trial was quiet and dignified, and on October 31, 
1793, he died bravely with his comrades. 

(Jirondists (Fr. Girondins) was the name given during 
the French revolution to the moderate Kepublican party. 
When the Legislative Assembly met in October, 1791, the 
(lironde department chose for its representatives Verg- 
niaud, Gaudet, Gen.sonne, Grangeueuve, and Duco.s, all of 
whom soon acciuired great influence by their rhetorical 
talents and political principles. 

Tliey were joined by Brissot's party and the adherents 
of Koland as well as by several leaders of the Center, such 
as Coudorcet, Fauchet, Lasource, Isnard, and Henri La 
Riviere, and for some time had a parliamentary majority. 
From this nucleus grew the so-called Girondist party, 
which for a time exerted a powerful influence in the Revo- 
lution, but which came to an unfortunate end, nearly all 
the leaders being guillotined. 

The advance of the Austrian and Prussian invaders 
threw the influence into the hands of the Jacobins, who 
alone possessed vigor enough to "save the Revolution." 



UNITED STATES OF AMEIUCA 5 

Tlie great enieute of the lOtli of August finally assmx'd 
their triumph, which vented itself in sueh iufauiies as the 
September massacres. Next followed the National Con- 
vention and the trial of the king. The Girondists tried to 
save the king's life by appealing to tlie sovereign people. 

The fall of Koland and the ascending of Ilobi'spicrre 
followed. Dumouriez, to save his head, rode over into the 
Austrian camp, and the famous comndttee of public safety 
was created. Of its members not one was a Girondist. 
The last effort of the party was an ineffectual attempt to 
impeach Marat, who, however, on the 2nd of July over- 
threw the party, arresting as many as thirty-one deputies. 
The majority had already escaped to the provinces. In 
the depai'tments of Eure, Calvados, all through Britanny, 
and at Bordeaux and elsewhere in the soutInv(^st the people 
'rose in their defense, but the movement was soon crushed 
by the irresistible energy of the Mountain, now triumphant 
in tlie convention. 

M. Brissot de Warville, in 17S8, formed a society of 
"Friends of tlie Blacks," and to study the conditions of the 
negro in America was one of the objects of his visits to 
America. 



New Travels 



in the 



United States of America 



Performed in 1788 
By J. P. Brissot DeWarville 



Translated from the French 
By an Englishman 



A People without Morale may acquire Liberty, 
but without Morals they cannot preserve it. 

Nemo illic vitia ridet. ncc corrumpere. nee 
corrumpi feculum vocatur 

Plusquam ibi boni mores valent, quam alibi 
bonae leges Tacitus 



Printed in 1792 



PKEFACE UF THE TKANSLATOK. 

Xo ti-avelk'i', I believe, of tliis aye, has made a more 
useful present to Europe tliau M. de ^Varville in the pub- 
lication of the following tour in the United States. The 
l)eople of France will derive great advantages from it; as 
tliey iiave done from a variety of other labours of the same 
industrious and patriotic author. Their minds are now 
(rjten to en(iuiry into the effects of moral and political sys- 
tems, as their couimerce and manufactures are to any im- 
provements that their unembarrassed situation enables 
them to adopt. 

Many people read a little in the preface before they 
1)uy the book; and I shall probably be accused of being in 
the interest of the bookseller, and of making an assertion 
merely to catch this sort of readers when I say tliat the 
English have more need of information on the real char- 
acter and condition of the United States of Auierica, than 
any other people of Europe; and especially when I add 
lliat this liook is infinitely better calculated to convey that 
infoi-mation than any other, or tlian all others of the kind 
that have hitherto appeared. 

I do not know how to convince an English reader of the 
first of these remarks; but the latter I am sure he will find 
ti-ue on perusing the work. 

The fact is, we have always been sur]u-isingly ignorant 
liolh of the Americans and of their country. Had we 
known either the one or the othei- while tliey were colonies, 
they would have been so at this day, and probably for many 
days longer; did we know them now, we should endeavor 



10 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

to draw that a(lvaiita_c;e fi-oiii them that tlic natural and 
advantitions ciiruinstanccs of the two countiics would indi- 
cate to reasonable men. There is no spot on tlie globe, out 
of England, so interesting for us to study under all its 
connections and i-elatious as the territory of the T^nited 
ytates. ( "ould we barter all the Canadas and Xova Scotias, 
with all tlieir modifications and subdivisions, for such an 
amicable intercoui'se as might have been established with 
that i)eople since the close of the wai", we should have 
every reason to rejoice in the change. 

Ministers, as wicked as they are, do more mischief 
through ignorance, than from any less pardonable cause. 
And what are the sources of information on this subject, 
that are generally drawn from this kingdom? Those 
Americans, who best know their own country, do not 
write; they have always been occupied in more important 
affairs. A few light superficial travelers, some of whom 
never appear to have quitted Europe, who have not knowl- 
edge enough even to begin to enquire after knowledge; a 
few ministerial governors of royal provinces, whose busi- 
ness it always was to give false information ; such are the 
men whose errors have been nniforndy copied by succeed- 
ing writers, systematized by philosophers, and acted out 
by politicians. 

These blunders assume different sha])es, and come rec- 
ommended to us under various autliorities. You see them 
mustered and embodied in a gazetteer or a geograi»lii<'al 
grammar marching in the splendid retinue of all the 
sciences in the encyclopedia; you find them by regiments 
pressed into the service of De Paw, tortured into discipline 
and taught to moAe to the music of Eaynal, and then 
mounted among the heavy armed cavalry of Kobertson. 
Under such able commanders who could doubt of their 
doing execution? Indeed their operations Jinve been too 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 11 

fatal to 118. Our false ideas of tlie Aiiiericaus liavo clone 
us more injury, even since the war, than twenty Iiussian 
or vSpanish armaments. Rut the evil still continues; and 
every day lessens tlie opportunity of profitinii' from their 
ac(iuaintance. 

We have refused, ever since tlie war, to compliment 
them with an envoy; we have employed, to take care of our 
consular interests, and represent the epitomized majesty of 
the Britisli nation, an American royalist, who could lie 
reccminiended to us only for his stupidity, and to them 
only for his suspected perfidy to their cause. 

The book that bears the name of Lord Sheilield on tlie 
American trade, has served as the toiichstfine. tlie state- 
man's confession of faith, rcdative to our ])o]itica] and com- 
mercial intercourse with that country. Jt is said to have 
been written by an American Avho had left his country in 
disgrace, and therefore intended to Avrite against it. And 
tlie book really has this aiipearance; it has passed for a 
long time in England as a most patriotic and useful ]ier- 
formance; it has taught us to despise the Americans in 
peace and commerce, as tlie work of other men of this caste 
had before told us to do in Avar and politics. The <le,talls 
in it, furnished by the clerks of the custom-house, are 
doubtless accurate, though of little consequence, but the 
reasoning is uniformly wrong, tlie predictions are all false, 
and the conclusions which he draws, and whicli, of course, 
were to serve as advice to the government, are calculated 
to flatter our vanity, to confirm us in our errors, and mis- 
lead us in our c(mduct. ITad the ablest sophist in Europe 
been employeil to write a book professedly against (Jreat 
Britain and in favor f)f America, lie could not have suc- 
ceeded so well. It persuaded us to refuse any kind of com- 
mercial treaty with tliem. v.hich forced tliem to learn a 
lesson, of whicli thev might otherwise have been ignorant 



12 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

for half a ceutiu-y. That after beatiug our armies they 
could rival our mauufactories ; that they could do with- 
out us much better than we could without them. 

M. de Wanille has taught his countrymen to think very 
differently of that people. I believe every reader of these 
travels, who understands enough of America to enable him 
to judge, will agree with me iu opiuion, that his remai'ks 
are infinitely more judicious, more candid, aud less er- 
roueous tlian those of any other of the numerous observers 
that have visited that country. Jlost of them have been 
uniformly superficial, often scurrilous, blending uumeritetl 
censure with fulsome praise, and huddling together, to 
form the whole piece, a parcel of unfinished images, that 
give no more a picture of that people, than of the Arabs or 
the Chinese. Their only object, like that of a novel writer, 
is to make a book that will sell ; and yet they preserve not 
even that consistency with themselves, which is indispens- 
able in the wildest romance. 

M. de Warville is a sober, uniform, indefatigahle, an<l 
courageous defender of the rights of mankind ; he has cer- 
tainly done much in his own country in bringing forward 
the present revolution. His gi-eat object in tliese travels 
seems to have been to observe the effects of habitual liberty 
on man in society; and his remarks appear to be those of 
a well-informed reasoner, and an unprejudiced inquirer. 
London, February 1, 1792. 



PREFACE OF THE AllTHOK. 

The publicatiou of Voyages aud Travels will (loiil)tless 
appear, at first view, an operation foreign to the present 
eiroumstances of France. I sliould even myself regret the 
time I have spent in reducing this work to order, if T did 
not think that it might be useful aud necessary in support- 
ing our revolution. The object of these travels was not to 
study anticpies, or to search for uukut)wn plants, but to 
study men who had just acquired their liberty. A free 
people can no longer be strangers to the French. 

We have now, likewise, acciuired our libeity. It is no 
longer necessary to learn of the Auiericaus the manner of 
acquiring it, but we must be taught by them tiie secret of 
preserving it. This secret consists in the morals of tlie 
people ; the Americans have it ; and I see with grief, not 
only that we do not yet possess it, but that we are not 
even thoroughly jjersuaded of its absolute necessity in the 
preservation of liberty. This is an important point; it in- 
volves the salvation of the revolution, and therefore merits 
a close examination. 

What is liberty? It is the uiost perfect state of society ; 
it is the state in which man depends (but) upon the laws 
which he makes; in which, to make them gO(»d, he ought to 
perfect the powers of his mind; in which, to execute theui 
well, he must employ all his reason; for coercive measures 
are disgraceful to free men— they are almost useless in a 
free State; and when the magistrate calls them to his aid, 
liberty is on the decline, uiorals are nothing nntre than rea- 
son applied to all the actions of life; in their force consists 

13 



U NEW TRAVELvS IN THE 

the execution of the laws. Reasou or morals are to the 
execution of the laws among a free people, what fetters, 
scourges, and gibbets are among slaves. Destroj' morals, 
or practical reasou, and you must supply their place by 
fetters and scourges, or else society will no longer be but 
a state of war, a scene of deplorable anarchy, to be ter- 
minated by its destruction. 

Without morals there can be no liberty. If you have 
not the former, you cannot love tlie latter, and you will 
soon take it away from others; for if you abandon your- 
self to luxury, to ostentation, to excessive gaming, to enor- 
mous expenses, you necessarily open your heart to corrup- 
tion; you make a traffic of your popularity, and of your 
talents; you sell the people to that despotism which is al- 
ways endeavoring to replunge them into its chains. 

Some men endeavor to distinguish public from private 
morals; it is a false and chimerical distinction, invented 
by vice, in order to disguise its danger. Doubtless a man 
may possess the private virtues without the public; he 
may be a good father, without being an ardent friend of 
liberty; but he that has not the private virtues, can never 
possess the public; in this I'espect they are inseparable; 
their basis is the same, it is practical reason. What ! within 
the walls of your house, you trample reasou under foot; 
and do you respect it alu-oad, in your intercourse with your 
fellow-citizens? He that respects not reason in the lonely 
presence of his household gods, can have no sincere at- 
tachment to it at all ; and his apparent veneration to the 
law is but the effect of fear, or the grimace of hypocrisy. 
Place liim out of danger from the public force, liis fears 
vanish, and his vice appeai-s. Besides, tlie hypocrisy of 
public virtue entrains another evil ; it spreads a danger- 
ous snare to liberty over the abyss of despotism. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15 

What confidence can be placed in those men who, re- 
garding the revolution but as their road to fortune, as- 
sume the appearance of virtue but to deceive the people; 
who deceive tlie people but to pillage and enslave tlieni ; 
who, in their artful discourses, where ebxiuence is paid 
with gold, preach to others the sacrifice of private inter- 
est, while they themselves sacrifice all that is sacred to 
their own? men v^iiose private conduct is the assassin of 
virtue, an opprobrium to liberty, and gives the lie to the 
doctrines which they preach : 

(^ui ("urius simulant, et baccanaiia vivu'.it. 
Happy the people who despise this liypocrisy, who have the 
courage to degrade, to chastise, to excommunicate these 
double men, possessing the tongue of Cato, and the soul 
of Tiberius. Happy the people who, well convinced that 
liberty is not supported by eloquence, but by the exercise 
of virtue, esteem not, but rather despise, the former, when 
it is separatetl from the latter. Such a people, by their 
severe opinions, compel men of talents to acquire morals; 
they exclude corruption from their body, and lay the 
foundation for liberty and long pi'osperity. 

But if this people, improvident and irresolute, dazzled 
by the ebxiuence of an orator who flatters their passious, 
pardon his vices in favor of his talents; if they feel not an 
indignation at seeing an Alcibiades training a mantle of 
purple, lavishing his sumptuous repasts, lolling on the 
bosom of his mistress, or ravishing a wife from her tender 
husband; if the view of his enormous wealth, his exterior 
graces, the soft sound of his speech, and his traits of cour- 
age, could reconcile them to his crimes; if they could ren- 
der him the homage which is due only to talents united 
with virtue; if they could lavish upon him praises, places, 
and honours; then it is that this people discover the full 
measure of their weakness, their irresolution, and their 



16 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

owu proper corruptiou; the}' become tlieir own execution- 
ers; and the time is not distant, when tiiey will be ready to 
be sold, hj their own Alcibiades, to the great king, and to 
his satraps. 

It is an ideal picture wliicli 1 here trace, or, is it not 
ours? I tremble at the resemblance. Great God! shall we 
have achieved a revolution the most inconceivable, the 
most unexpected, but for the sake of drawing from nihility 
a few intriguing', low, ambitious men, to whom nothing is 
sacred, who have not even the mouth of gold to accompany 
tlieir soul of clay? Infamous wretches! they endeavor to 
excuse their weakness, their venality, their eternal capi- 
tulations witli despotism, l)y saying, these people are too 
much corrupted to be trusted with complete liberty. They 
themselves give them the example of corruption ; they give 
them new siiackles, as if shackles could enlighten and ame- 
liorate men. 

O Providence! to what destiny reservest thou the peo- 
ple of France? They are good, but they ai'e flexible; they 
are credulous, they are enthusiastic ; they are easily de- 
ceivetl. How often, in their infatuation, have they ap- 
plauded secret traitors, wlio liave advised them to the most 
perfidious measures! Infatuation announces either a peo- 
ple whose aged weakness indicates approaching dissolu- 
tion, or an infant people, or a mechanical people, a people 
not yet ripe for liberty ; for the man of liberty is by nature 
a man of reason ; he is rational in liis applauses, he is si)ar- 
ing in his admiration, if, indeed, he ever indulges this pas- 
sion; lie never profanes these effusions, by lavishing them 
on men who dishonor themselves. A people degraded to 
this degree, are ready to caress the gilded chains that may 
be offered them. Behold the people of England dragging 
in the dirt that parliament to whom they owed their lib- 



UNITED STATES OF AMEiaCA IT 

evty, aud crowning- with laurels the infamous head of 
3Ionk, who sold them to a new tj'rant. 

I have scrutinized those men, by whom the people are 
so easily infatuated. How few patriots was I able to 
number among- them ! How few men, who sincerely love 
the people, who labor for their happiness and ameliora- 
tion, without regard to their personal interest! These 
true friends, these real brothers of the people, are not to 
be found in those infamous gambling- houses, where the 
representatives sport with the blood of their fellow citi- 
zens; they ai'e not found among those vile courtezans Avho, 
preserving- their disposition, have only changed their mask ; 
they are not found among- those patriots of a day, who, 
while they are preaching- the riglits of man, are gravely oc- 
cupied with a gilded phaett)n, or an embroidered vest. The 
man of this frivolous taste has never descended into those 
profound meditations, which make of humanity, and the 
exercise of reason, a constant pleasure and a daily duty. 
The simplicity vt wants and of pleasures, may be taken as 
a sure sign of patriotism. He that has few wants, has 
never that of selling himself; while the citizen, who has 
the rage of ostentation, the fury of gambling, and of ex- 
pensive frivolities, is always to be sold to the highest bid- 
der; and every thing- around him betrays his corruption. 

Would you prove to me your patriotism? Let me pene- 
trate into the interior of your house. AVhat ! I see your 
antichamber full of insolent lackies, who regard me with 
disdain, because I am like Curius, incomptis capillis; they 
address you with the appellation of lordship; they give 
you still those vain titles wliich liberty treads under foot, 
and you suffer it, and yon call yourself a patriot ! — I pene- 
trate a little further: your ceilings are gilded ; magnificent 
vases adorn your chimney pieces ; I walk upon the richest 
carpets; the most costly wines, the most exquisite dishes, 



18 NEW TlLVVELt^ IN THE 

cover your table ; a crowd of servants surround it ; you 
treat theiu with liaughtincss — No,, j'ou are not a patriot, 
the most consuuniiate pride reigns in your heart, the pride 
of birth, of riches, and of talents. With this triple pride, 
a man never believes in the doctrine of equality ; you belie 
your conscience, when you jirostitute the word patriot. 

But whence comes this display of wealth? you are not 
rich. Is it from the people? they are still poor. Who will 
prove to me that it is not the price of their blood? Who 
will assure me that there is not this moment existing, a 
secret contract between you and the court? Who will 
assure me that you have not said to the court, Trust to me 
the power which remains to j'ou, and I will bring back the 
people to your feet; I will attach them to your car; I will 
enchain tlie tongues and pens of those independent men 
wlio brave you. A people may sometimes be subjugated 
without the aid of bastilles. 

I do not know if so many pictures as every day strike 
our eyes, will convince ns of the extreme difficulty of con- 
necting public incorruptibility with corruption of nuu-als; 
but I am convinced, that if we wish to preserve our con- 
stitution, it will be easy, it will be necessarj', to demon- 
strate this maxim : "Without private virtue, there can b." 
no public virtue, no public spirit, no liberty." 

But how can we create private virtue among a people 
who have just risen suddenly from the dregs of servitude, 
dregs which have been settling for twelve centuries on their 
heads? 

Numerous means offer themselves to our hands; laws, 
instruction, good examples, education, encouragement to a 
rural life, parceling of real property among heirs, respect 
to the useful arts. 

Is it not evident, for instance, that private morals as- 
sociate naturally with a rural life; that, of consequence, 



UNITED STATEvS OF AMERICA 19 

maimers would miicli iiupiove, b^' inducing men to roturu 
from the city to the country, and by discouraging them 
from migrating from the country to the city? Tlie reason 
why the Americans possess such pure morals is because 
nine-tenths of tliem live dispersed in the country. I do 
not say that we sliould make laws direct to force people to 
quit the town, or to fix their limits; all proiiibition, all 
restraint, is unjust, absurd, and ineffectual. Do you wisii 
a person to do well? make it fur his interest to do it. 
Would you re-people the country? make it his interest to 
keep his children at home. Wise laws and taxes well dis- 
tributed will produce tliis effect. Laws which tend to an 
equal distribution of real property, to diffuse a certain 
degree of ease among the people, will contribute much to 
the resurrection of private and public morals; for misery 
can take no interest in tiie public good, and want is often 
the limit of virtue. 

A\'ould you extend public spirit through all I'rance? 
Into all the departments, all the villages, favor the pro- 
pagation of knowledge, the low price of books and of news- 
papers. How rapidly would the revolution consolidate, if 
the government had the wisdom to frank the jmblic papers 
from the expense of postage! It has often been repeated, 
that three or four millions of livres expended in this way, 
would prevent a great number of disorders which ignorance 
may countenance or commit; and the reparation of which 
costs many more millions. The communication of knowl- 
edge would accelerate a number of useful undertakings, 
which greatly ditt'use public prosperity. 

I will still propose another law, which would infallibly 
extend public spirit and good morals ; it is the short dura- 
tion of public fuuctioners in their oflice, and the impos- 
sibility of re-electing them without an interval. By that 
the legislative body would send out every two years, into 



130 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

the provinces, three or four himdrod patriots, who, dur- 
ing their abode at Paris, would have arisen to the horizon 
of the revolution, and obtained instruction, activity in 
business, and a public spirit. The commonwealth, better 
understood, would become thus successively the business 
of all ; and it is thus that you would repair the defect with 
which representative republics are reproached, that the 
commonwealth is the business of but few. 

I cannot enlarge upon all the means; but it would be 
rendering a great service to the revolution, to seek and 
point out those which may give us morals and public spirit. 

Yet I cannot leave this subject without indulging one 
reflection, which appears to me important; Liberty, either 
political or individual, cannot exist a long time without 
personal independence. There can be no independence 
without a property, a profession, a trade, or an honest in- 
dustry, which may insure against want and dependence. 

I assure you that the Americans are and will be for a 
long time free; it is because nine-tenths of them live by 
agriculture; and when there shall be five hundretl millions 
of men in America, all may be proprietors. 

We are not in that happy situation in Prance; the pro- 
ductive lauds in France amount to fifty millions of acres ; 
this, equally divided, would be two acres to a person ; these 
two acres would not be sufficient for his subsistence; the 
nature of things calls a great number of the French to live 
in cities. Commerce, the mechanic arts, and divers kinds 
of industry procure there, subsistence to the inhabitants; 
for we must not count much at present on the produce of 
public offices. Salaries indemnify, but do not enrich ; 
neither do they insure against future want. A man who 
should speculate upon salaries for a living, M'ould only be 
the slave of the people, or of foreign powers; every man, 
therefore, who wishes sincerely to be free, ought to exer- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 21 

cise some art or trade. At this word ti'ade, the patriots 
still sliiver; they begin to pay some respect to commerce; 
but though they pretend to cherish equality, they do not 
feel themselves frankly the e(iuals of a mechanic. They 
have not yet abjured the prejudice which regards the 
tradesman, as below the banker or the merchant. This 
vulgar aristocracy will be the most difficult to destroy. 

It extends even to officers chosen by the people. With 
what disdain they regard an artisan from head to foot. With 
what severity many of our national guards treat those 
wretches who are arrested by them. "\^lth what insolence 
they execute their ordere : — Observe the greater j^art of the 
public officers. They are as haughty in the exercise of 
their functions as they were grovelling in the primaiy as- 
semblies. A true patriot is equal at all times; equally dis- 
tant from baseness at elections, and insolence in office. 

If you wish to honor the mechanic arts, give instruc- 
tion to those who exercise them ; choose among them the 
best instructed, and advance them in public employments; 
and disdain not to confer upon them distinguished places 
in the assemblies. 

I regret that the national assembly has not yet given 
this salutary example; that they have not yet crowned the 
genius of agriculture, by calling to the president's cliair 
the good cultivator, Gerard ; that the mercliants and other 
members of the assembly, who exercise mechanic arts, have 
not enjoyed the same honor. Why this exclusion? It is 
very well to insert in the Declaration of Rights, that all 
men are equal ; but we must practise this equality, engrave 
it in our hearts, consecrate it in all our actions, and it be- 
longs to the national assembly to give the gi'eat example. 
It would perhaps force the executive power to respect it 
likewise. Has he ever been known to descend into the class 
of professions, there to choose his ministers, his agents. 



22 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

from men of simplicity of manners, not rich, but well in- 
structed, and no courtezans? 

Our democrats of the court pi-aise indeed -with a bor- 
roAved enthusiasm a Franklin or an Adams; they say, and 
even with a silly astonishment, that the one was a printer, 
and the other a schoolmaster! But, do they go to seek in 
the work-shops, the men of information? No. But what 
signifies at present the conduct of an administration, 
whose detestable foundation renders them antipopular, and 
consequently perverse? they can never appear virtuous, 
but by hypocrisy. To endeavor to convert them, is a folly; 
to oppose to them independent adversaries, is wisdom; the 
secret of independence is in this maxim, have few wants 
and a steady employment to satisfy them. 

AVith these ideas man bend>s not his front before man. 
The artizan glories in his trade that supports him; he en- 
vies not places of honor; he knows he can attain them, if 
he deserves them; he idolizes no man; he respects himself 
too much to be an idolater; he esteems not men because 
they are in place, but because they deserve well from their 
country. 

The leaders of the revolution in Holland, in the six- 
teenth century, seated on the grass at a repast of herrings 
and onions, received, with a stern simplicity, the deputies 
of the haughty Spaniard. This is the portrait of men who 
feel their dignity, and know the superiority of freemen 
over the slaves of kings. 

Quem neque pauperies, neque mors, neque vincula ter- 
rent. AVhen shall we have this elevated idea of ourselves? 
When will all the citizens look with disdain on those idols 
on whom they formerly prostituted their adoration? In- 
deed, when shall we experience a general diffusion of pub 
lie spirit? 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 23 

I have uo tmeasiuess about the rising geueration. The 
pure souls of oui- vouug men breathe nothing but liberty ; 
the contagious breath of personal interest has not yet 
infected them. An education truly national, will create 
men surpassing the Greeks and Romans; but people ad- 
vanced in life, accustomed to servitude, familiarized with 
the idolatry of the great — wliat will reclaim them? What 
will strip them of the old man? Instruction; and the best 
means of diffusing it, is to multiply popular clubs, where 
all those citizens so unjustly denominated passive, came 
to gain information on the principles of the Constitution, 
and on the political occurrences of e^ery day. It is there 
that may be placed under the eyes of the people, the great 
examples of virtue furnished by ancient and modern his- 
tory; it is there that detached parts of the Mork, which 
I now publish, may serve to shew my fellow-citizens the 
means of preserving their liberty. 

O Frenchmen ! who wish for this valuable instruction, 
study the Americans of the present day. Open this book ; 
you will here see to what degree of prosperity the bless- 
ings of freedom can elevate the industry of man ; how they 
dignify his nature, and dispose him to universal frater- 
nity; you will here learn by what means liberty is pre- 
served ; that the great secret of its duration is in good 
morals. It is a truth that the observation of the present 
state of America demonstrates at ever-y step. Thus you 
will see, in these Travels, the prodigious effects of liberty 
on morals, on industry, and on the amelioration of men. 
You will see those stern Presb^'terians, who, on the first 
settlement of their country, infected with the gloomy su- 
perstitions of Europe, could erect gibbets for those who 
thought differently from themselves. You will see them 
admitting all sects to equal charity and brotherhood, re- 
jecting those superstitions which, to adore the Supreme 



24 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Beiug, make martyrs of part of the humau race. Thus 
you will see all the Americaus, in whose minds the jealousy 
of the mother eouutry had disseminated the most ahsurd 
prejudices against foreign nations, abjure those prejudices, 
reject every idea of war, and open the way to an universal 
confederation of the humau race. You will see independent 
America contemplating no other limits but those of the 
universe, not other restraint but the laws made by her rep- 
resentatives. You will see them atteiuptiug all sorts of 
speculations; opening the fertile bosom of the soil, lately 
covered by forests; tracing unknown seas; establishing new 
communications, Bew markets; naturalizing, in their coun- 
try, those precious manufactures which England had re 
served to herself ; and, by this accumulation of the means 
of industry, they change the balance that was formerly 
against America, and turn it to their advantage. You 
will see them faithful to their engagements, while their 
enemies are proclaiming their bankruptcy. Y^ou will see 
them invigorating their minds, and cultivating their vir- 
tues; reforming their government, employing only the 
language of reason to convince the refractory; multiply- 
ing everywhere moral institutions and patriotic establish- 
ments; and, above all, never separating the idea of public 
from private virtues. Such is the consoling picture, which 
these Travels will offer to the friend of liberty. 

The reverse is not self consoling; if liberty is a sure 
guarantee of prosperity; if, in perfecting the talents of 
man, it gives him \irtues, these virtues, in their turn, be- 
come the surest support of liberty. A people of universal 
good morals would have no need of government; the law 
would have no need of an executive power. This is the rea- 
son why liberty in America is safely carried to so high a 
degree that it borders on a state of nature, and why the 
government has so little force. This, by ignorant men, is 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 25 

called anarchy; culigliteiied men, who have examined the 
effects on tlie spot, discern in it the excellence of the gov- 
ernment; becanse, notw-ithstanding its weakness, society 
is there in a flourishing state. The prosperity of a society 
is always in proportion to the extent of liberty; liberty 
is in the inverse proportion to the extent of the governing 
power; the latter cannot increase itself, but at the expense 
of tiie former. 

Can a people witliout government lie hapjiy? Yes, if 
you can sujjpose a v. hole peojile with good morals; and 
this is not a chimera. Will you see an example? Oliserve 
the Quakers of America. Though numerous, though dis- 
perscnl over the surface of rennsylvania, they have passed 
more than a century, without municipal government, with- 
out police, without coercive measures, to administer the 
State, or to govern the hospitals. And why? See the pic- 
ture of their manners; you will there find the explanation 
of the plienomenon. 

Coercive measures and liberty never go together; a 
free people hates tlie former; but if these measures are not 
employed, iiov.' will you execute the law? By the force of 
reason and good morals — take away these, and you must 
borrow the arm of violence, or fall into anarchy. If, then, 
a people wislies to banish the dishonorable means of coer- 
cion, they must exercise tlieir reason, \\ Iiich will shew thcni 
the necessity of a constant respect for the law. 

The exercise of this faculty produces among the Ameri- 
cans, a great number of men designated by the name of 
principled men. This appellation indicates the character 
of a class of men so little known among us, that they have 
not acquired a name. There will be one formed, I have no 
doubt; but, in the meantime, I see none but vibrating, 
vacillating beings, who do good by enthusiasm, and never 
bv reflcctinu. There can be no durable revolution, but 



26 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

where reflection marks the operation, and matures the 
ideas. It is amongst those Imen of principle that you find 
the true heroes of humanity, the Howards, Fothergills, 
Penns, Franklins, Washingtons, Sidneys and Ludlows. 

Shew me a man of this kind, whose wants are circum- 
scribed, who admits no luxury, v>ho has no secret passion, 
no ambition, but that of serving his countij — a man who, 
as Montaigne says, aie des opinions supercelestes, sans 
avoir des maeurs souterreines — a man whom reflection 
guides in everything ; this is the man of the people. 

In a word, my countrymen, would you be always free, 
always independent in your elections, and in your opin- 
ions? Would you confine tlie executive jjower within nar- 
row limits, and diminish the number of ,your laws? — liave 
morals — in pessima republica plurimae leges. Morals sup- 
ply perfectly, the necessity of laws; laws supply but im- 
perfectly, and in a miserable manner, the place of morals. 
Would you augment your population, that chief wealth of 
nations? Would you augment the ease of individuals, in- 
dusti-y, agriculture, and evei-ything that contributes to 
general prosperity? — have morals ! 

Such is the double effect of morals in the United States, 
whose form of government still frightens pusillanimou.s 
and superstitious men. The portraits offered to view, in 
these Travels, will justify that republicanison Avhich knaves 
calumniate with design, which ignorant men do not under- 
stand, but whicli they will learn to know and respect. How 
can we better judge of a government than by its effects? 
Reasoning* may deceive; experience is always right. If 
liberty produces good morals, and diffuses information, 
why do freemen continue to carp at that kind of govern- 



•If you would spp excellent reasoning on this subject read the work just 
published by the celebrated Paine, entitled, Rights of Man ; especially the mis- 
cellaneons chapter. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 27 

ment, which, beiiiy founded on the greatest degree of lilter- 
ty, secures the greatest degree of prosperity? 

I thought it very useful and very necessary to prove 
these principles from great exanijiles ; and this is luy rea- 
son for publisliing these Travels. Examples are more pow- 
erful tlian precepts. Morality, put in actiou, carries some- 
thing of the dramatic, and tlie French love the drama. 

This, then, is my first object; it is national, it is uni- 
versal; for, when it is demonstrated that liberty creates 
morals, and morals, in their turn, extend and maintain 
liberty, it is evident, that to restrain tlie jirogress of liberty, 
is an execrable project ; since it is to restrain the happi- 
ness, the prosperity, and the union of the human race. 

A second object which guides me in this publication, is 
likewise national. I wish to describe to my countrymen 
a people with whom we ought, on every account, to connect 
ourselves in the most intimate manner. 

If I had consulted what is called the Love of Glory, and 
the Sjiirit of Ancient Literature, I could have spent several 
years in polishing this work; but I believed, that, though 
necessary at present, it might be too late, and, perhaps 
useless, in a few years. We have arrived at the time when 
men of letters ought to study, above all things, to be use- 
ful ; when they ought, for fear of losing time, to precipitate 
the propagation of truths, which the people ought to know ; 
when, of consequence, we ought to occupy ourselves more 
in things than in words; when the care of style, and the 
perfection of taste, are but signs of a trifling vanity, and 
a literary aristocracy. Were Jlontesquieu to rise from the 
dead, he would surely blush at having laboured twenty 
years in making epigrams on laws; he would write for the 
people; for the revolution cannot be maintained but by the 
people, and by the people instructed; he would write, then. 



28 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

directly and simply from his own soul, and not torment 
his ideas to render them brilliant. 

When a mais would travel usefully, he should study, 
first, men; secondly, books; and thirdly, places. To study 
men, he should see them of all classes, of all parties, of 
all ages, and in all situations. 

I read in the Gazettes, that the ajnbassadors of Tippo 
Sultan were feasted by everybody; they Avere carried to the 
balls, to the spectacles, to the manufactures, to the arsen- 
als, to the palaces, to the camps. After being thus feasted 
for six months, I wonder if, on returning home, they con- 
ceived that they knew France. If such was their opinion, 
they were in an error ; for they saw only the brilliant part, 
the surface; and it is not by the surface that one can judge 
of the force of a nation. The ambassador should descend 
from his dignity, travel in a common carriage without his 
attendants, go into tlie stables to see the horses, into tlie 
barns to see the grain and other productions of the coun- 
try. It is thus that Mr. Jefferson travelled in France and 
Italy; he had but one servant with him ; he saw everj'thing 
with his own eyes. I believe that few voyages have been 
made with so much judgment and utility, as those of that 
philosopher. But his modesty conceals his observations 
from the public eye. 

People disguise everything, to deceive men in jilace. A 
prince goes to an hospital ; he tastes the soup and the meat. 
Does anyone suppose that the superintendent was fool 
enough not to have given orders to the cook that day? 

True observation is that of every day. A traveller, be- 
fore setting out, ought to know from books and men the 
country he goes to visit. He will have some data; he will 
confront what he sees, with what he has heard. 

He ought to have a plan of observation ; if he wishes 
that nothing should escape him,he should accustom him- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 29 

self to seize objects rapidly, ami to write, every uiglit, wbat 
he has seen in the day. 

The choice of persons to consnlt, and to rely upon, is 
ditiicult. 

The inhabitants of a country have generally a predilec- 
tion in favour of it, and stranj^ers have prejudices ai^aiust 
it. In America I found this prejudice in almost every 
stranger. The American revolution confounds them. Tliey 
cannot familiarize the idea of a king-people and an elec- 
tive chief, who shakes hands with a labourer, who has no 
guards at his gate, who walks on foot, etc. The foreign 
consuls are those who decry, with the most virulence, the 
American constitution ; and, I say it with grief, I saw much 
of this virulence among some of ours. According to them, 
the United States, when I landed in America, were just 
falling to ruin. They had no government left, the constitu- 
tion was detestable; there was no confidence to be placed 
in the Americans, the public debt would never be paid; 
and there was no faith, no justice among them. 

Being a friend of liberty, these calumnies against the 
American government were revolting to me; I coml)ated 
them with reasoning. My adversaries, who objected to me 
then their long abode there, and the shortness of mine, 
ought to be convinced by this time that the telescope of 
reason is rather better than the microscope of office. They 
have, in general, some abilities and some infornmtion; but 
they have generally been educated in the inferior places 
in the French administration, and they have well imbibed 
its prejudices. A republic is a monstrous thing in their 
sight ; a minister is an idol that they adore ; the people, in 
their view, is a herd that must be governed with rigour. 
A man who lives upon the rapines of despotism, is always 
a bad judge of a free country; they feel that they should 



30 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

be nothing iu such a state ; and a man does not like to fall 
into nothing.* 

I met in our French travellers, the same prejudices as 
in the consuls. The greater part of Frenchmen who travel 
or emigrate, have little information, and are not prepared 
to the art of observation. Presumptuous to excess, and 
admirers of their own customs and manners, they ridicule 
those of other nations. Ridicule gives them a double pleas- 
ure; it feeds their own pride, and hund)h^s others. At 
Philadelphia, for instance, the men are grave, the women 
serious, no finical airs, no libertine wives, no coffee-houses, 
no agreeable walks. My Frenchman finds everythiug de- 
testable at Philadelphia; because he could not stmit upon 
a boulevard, babble in a coffee-house, nor seduce a pretty 
woman by his imi)ortant airs and his fine curls. lie was 
almost offended that they did not admire him; that they 
did not speak French. 

He was greatly troubled that he could speak Anu'rican 
with the same facility; he lost so much in not being able 
to show his wit. 

If, then, a person of this cast attempts to describe the 
Americans, he shoM's his own character, but not tlieirs. A 
people grave, serious, and refiecting, cannot be judged of 
and appreciated, but by a person of a like character. 

It is to be hoped that the revolution will change the 
character of the French. If they ameliorate their morals, 
and augment their infoitaation, they will go far; for it is 
the property of reason and enlightened liberty to perfect 
themselves without ceasing, to substitute truth to error, 
and principle to prejudice. They will then insensibly lay 

"Judge, by tlie following instance, with what insolence the agents of despotism treat the chiefs 
of respectable rei>ublicii. 1 heard M. de Mouatier boasting, that he told the president of congress, 
at his own house, that he was but a tavern-keeper; ajid tliat the Americans had Uie complaisaJice 
not to deniajid bis recall! What horror must this man have for our revolution! He declared him- 
self the erieiiiy of it when be was in America., and e-xpressed himself with violence against Its 
leaders. These facts are public. I denmmce them to M. Montmorin, who nevertheless, tu recom- 
pense him for his anti-re\olution majioeuvers. has sent him ambassador to Berlin. 



UNITED STATES UF AMEKICA 31 

aside their political prejiulioes, which lariiiish still the 
glorious coustitutioii which they have I'ouuded. They will 
imitate the Americans as far as local ami physical cir- 
cumstam-es will jDermit; they will imitate them, ami they 
will be the happier fur it; for general happiness does not 
consist with absurdities and contradictions ; it cannot arise 
from the complication, nor from the shock of powers. 
There is but one real power in government, and it is in 
referring it back to its source as often as possible, that it is 
to be rendered beneficent; it l»ecomes dangerous in pro- 
portion as it is distant from its source; in one word, the 
less active and powerful the government, the more active, 
powerful and happy is the society. This is the phenomenon 
demonstrated in the present history of the United States. 

These Travels give the proof of the second part of this 
political axiom; they prove the activity, the ix)wer, the 
happiness of the Americans; that they are destincnl to be 
the first people on earth, without being the terror of others. 

To what great chain are attached these glorious des- 
tinies? To three principles: 1. All poAver is elective in 
America. 2. The legislative is frequently changed. 3. The 
executive has, moreover, but little force.^' 



*Tliis last point merits some attention, in tlie present circumstances of France. The president 
or. the United States is elected like all other presidents aJid guveniors of states. A maji caiinut 
conceive, in that country. Uiat wisdom and -capacity are herwiitary. The Aniericajis. (who shake 
their heads at this Euroi>eau folly), frum sixteen years' experiejice, have found none of those 
trouble®, at Uie time of fleeting a president, as were apprehended by ifninrant people in Europe. 
The same tranquility reigns in this ele^.'tiun, as in tliat of the simple repre-sentatives. Men who 
can not answer to argiiineiits, raise phantoms, in order to have something to conibat; they attend 
not to the effects of the progress of reason, and the instinct of ajialogy which the i>eople possess. 
The moment they are accustomed to the eJc».'ti()n of the representative bod,v. all otlier elections are 
easy to them. It is the same reason among men instructed, and the same instinct of analogy 
among those not instructed, which inspires an eternal distrust of the executive power. In muntri'-'S 
where the chiefs are heredltar>% and not elective. The moment that we decreed the monarchy 
hereditary, we decreed an eternal distrust in the people, of tlie executive power. It wouJd be. in- 
deed, against r.ature, that they should have confidence In individuals, who pretend to a KUi>er- 
natural superiority, and wlio really have one in fact, being independent of the people, There can- 
not exist an ope-ii confidence, but in goTcmnients where the executive power is electi\e, because the 
governing is dependent on the governed. 

Now, as confidence is Impossible under the hereditary monarchy, by it results necessarily from 
a government elective in aJI its members, we may explain — whence the eternal quarrels between the 
I>eople and the government. In the first case — whence the fre<]UeTit ret-uirence to force— whence 
treasons and ministerial delinquencies go impunished — whence liberty is violated — and whence na- 
tions, thus gove-med. enjoy but a fictitious and partial prosperity, often stained with blood; while. 
In the other ease, where tlie people, by elections, hold in check the members of the government, 
there exists an unity of interests, which produces a prosperity, real, general, and I'acific 

The president of the United States can make no treaty, send no ambassador, nominate to no 
place, without the advice of the senate. This senate is elective: the president is resiKiiisible; he 
may be accused, prosecuted, suspended. conden>ned: the public good suffers nothing from this 
responsibility; the places of presidejit and ministers are not vacant on that account; hut they are 
filled by men of acknowledged merit; for the pe^i)le, who elect, do not. like chance, take foo'3 for 
Boveraors; nor do they, like kings, make ministers of knaves and petty tyrants. 



32 KEW TKAVELS IN THE 

It will be easy for iiie one day to deduce from these 
three priuciples, all the happy effects which I have ob- 
servedd in America. At present I content myself with de- 
scribing their ell'ects, because I wish to leave to my readers 
llie pleasure of recurring to the causes, and then of de- 
scending from those causes, and making the application 
to France. I have not even told all the facts; I had so 
little time both to detail the facts, and draw the conse- 
quences. I am astonished to have been able to finish a 
work so voluminous, in the midst of so many various occu- 
l^ations which continually surround me; charged alone 
with compiling and publishing a daily paper, undertaken 
with the sole desire of establishing in the public opinion, 
this i»owerful instrument of revolutions; a paper in which 
the defence of good principles, the watching over a thou- 
sand enemies, and repulsing perpetual attacks, occupy my 
attention without ceasing. Much of m^- trme is likewise 
taken up by my political and civil functions ; by many par- 
ticular pamphlets; by the necessity of assisting at clubs, 
where truths are prepared for the public eye; by the duty 
which I have prescribed to myself, to defend the men of 
colour and the blacks. 

I mention these facts to my readers, to prove to them 
that I have still some right to their indulgence. I mei-it 
it, likewise, for the motive which directs me. Consilium 
suturi ex praeterito A'euit : Great prospects are opening be- 
fore us. Let us hasten, then, to make known, that people 
whose happy experience ought to be our guide. 

Paris, April 21, 1791. 



IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

LETTER I 
(From M. Claviere to ^I. Brissot de Wai'ville) 

PLAN OF OIJSERVATIUNS OX THE POLITICAL, CIVIL, AM) 

MILITARY STATE OF THE FREE AMERICANS, 

THEIR LEGISLATION, ETC. 

May 18, 17SS. 

The voyage tliat yoii are going to undertake, my dear 
friend, will doubtless form the most interesting period of 
your contemplative life. You are going to transport your- 
self into a part of the globe, where a person maj', with the 
least obstruction, bring into view the most striking and 
interesting scenes that belong to humanity. It is with a 
little courage, much patience, a continual diffidence of his 
own habits of mind and manners, a total oblivion of his 
most cherished opinions, and of himself, and with a de- 
termination to be cautious and slow in judging, that he 
may conclude, what is the situation where man, tlie child 
of earth, may assemble the greatest sum, and the longest 
duration f)f public and private happiness. 

In a few years, and without gi-eat dangers, you may cfui- 
template the most varied scenes; you may pass in America, 
from a soil the best cultivated, and grown old with an 
active population, into the deserts, where the hand of man 
has modified nothing, where time, vegetation, and the dead 
mass of matter, seem to have furnished the expense of the 
theatre. 

Between these extremes, you will find intermediate 
stages of improvement; and it is, doubtless, in contemplat- 

33 



U NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

iug these, that reason and sensibility will find the hap- 
piest situation in life. 

The present state of independent America, will, per- 
haps, give us a glance at the highest perfection of human 
life that we are pei-mitted to hope for; but who, in judging 
of it, can sei^arate himself from his age, from his tempera- 
ment, from his education, from the impression of certain 
circumstances? Who can silence liis imagination, and 
govern the sensations which excite it? I hope, my friend, 
that you may have this power; and you ought to neglect 
nothing to acquire it, if you wish to answer the end of 
your travels. You wish to enlighten mankind, to smoothe 
the way to their happiness ; for this reason, you ought to l)e 
more on your guard than any one, not to deceive yourself 
by appearances. 

When, therefore, you shall form your opinion on the 
spot of those celebrated Ajnerican constitutions, do not 
exaggerate too much either the vices of Europe, to which 
you compare them, or the virtues of America, which you 
bring into the contrast. JIake it a principal object to de- 
termine whether it nmy not be said, in reality things are 
here as they are with us; the difference is so small, that it 
is not worth the change. This is a proper metliod to guard 
against error. It is well, at the same lime, to form a just 
idea of the difiSculty of change; this should be always pres- 
ent to the mind. Voltaire says : 

"La patrie est aux lieux ou I'ame est enchainee." 

You wish to contemplate the effects of liberty on the 
progress of men, of society, and of government. May j'ou, 
in this examination, never lose sight of impartiality and 
cool circumspection, that your friends maj' not be exjiosed 
either to incredulity, or to deception. 

I do not imagine that you can find in America, new 
motive to engage every reasonable European to the love 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 35 

of liberty. What they will most thauk you for is, to des- 
cribe to us what America iu fact is, and what, iu opinion, 
she may be, in a giveu time, making a reasonable allow- 
ance for those accidents which trouble the repose of life. 

^leu always dispute ; they are everywhere formed of the 
same materials and subject to the same passions ; but the 
matters on which they dispute, are, in a given country, 
more or less fitted to disturb the general harmony and in- 
dividual happiness. Thus a state of universal tt)leration 
renders harmless the diversity of opinion in religious mat- 
ters. 

In proportion as political institutions submit the rul- 
ing power to well-defined forms, at the same time that tliey 
have the public opinion in their favour, political dissen- 
tions are less dangerous. This, my friend, is the point of 
view under which the political state of America ought to 
be known to us. Let us know, above all, what we have lo 
expect, for the present and future, from that variety which 
distinguishes so considerably some states fi'om others, and 
whether some great inconvenience will not result from it; 
whether the federal tranquility will ever be shaken by it; 
whether this variety will corrupt the justice of some states 
towards others iu their ordinary commerce, and in those 
cases where the confederation is the judge; whether some 
states will not give themselves commotions and agitations, 
for the sake of forming their governments, similar, or dis- 
similar, to that of same others ; whether state jealousies do 
not already exist, occasioned by these varieties. Such 
jealousies greatly injure the Swiss cantons; they have 
ruined Holland, and will prevent its restoration. If these 
jealousies are unknown to the Americans, and will never 
arise there, explain to us this phenomenon, why it exists, 
and why it will continue; for you know, that from what 
you may observe to us on this single point, your friends 



3G NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

may be induced either to stay where they are, or to give 
the preference to one state in the union over another. 

There is one advantage in America which Europe does 
not otter; a man may settle himself in the desert, and be 
safe from political commotions. But is there no danger 
in this? Endeavour to explain to us the state of the sav- 
ages on that great continent, the most certain account of 
their numbers, their manners, the causes, more or less, in- 
evitable, of \\ars with them. This part of your accounts 
will not be the least interesting. Forget not to give us, as 
far as you have opi>ortunity, all that can be known relative 
to the ancient state of America. 

Observe what are the remains of the military spirit 
among the Americans; what are their prejudices in this 
respect; are there men among them who wish to see them- 
selves at the head of armies? Uo they enlist any soldiers? 
Can you perceive any germs, which, united to the spirit of 
idleness, would make the profession of a soldier preferable 
to that of a cultivator, or an artizau? For it is this 
wretched situation of things in other countries, which 
furnishes the means of great armies. Inform us about 
those Cincinnati, a body truly distressing to the political 
philosopher. 

Solomon says, "there is nothing new under the sun." 
This may be true; but ai'e we yet acquainted with all politi- 
cal revolutions, in order to make the circle complete? His- 
tory furnishes the picture of no revolution like that of the 
United States, nor any arrangements similar to theirs. 
Thus you may look into futurity, and see what persever- 
ances or changes may contradict the philosophy of history. 

You ought, likewise, to foresee whether foreign wars 
are to be expected; whether the Europeans are right in 
saying, that the United States will one day wish to be 
conquerors. I do not believe it; I believe rather that their 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 37 

revolution will be contag^ious, especially if their federal 
system shall niaiutain union and peace in all parts of the 
confederation. This is the master-point of the revolution ; 
it ought to engage the whole force of your meditations. 

Tell us, finally, if the rage of laAV-making has passed 
the seas with the colonists of the United States. You will 
(loul)tless find there, many minds struck with the disor- 
ders resulting from war and independence; others, who 
pieservp a lively image of the great liberty which each indi- 
vidual ought to enjoy; the first will be frightened at the 
least disturbance, and wish to see a law or a statute ap- 
plied to every trivial thing; the others think that laws can 
never be too few. What is the prevailing opinion there on 
this subject? When we consider what charms and what 
utility must be found in the private occupations of men in 
that country, we should think that the commonwealth 
would remain a long time without intermingling with 
them. But we are assured that lawyers abound there, and 
enjoy a dangerous influence ; that the civil legislation is 
there, as in England, an abundant source of law-suits and 
of distress. Enlighten us on this subject. We have often 
observed, that civil legislation has corrupted the bast polit- 
ical institutions; it is often a crime against society. 

Internal police, everywhere in Eurf)pe, is founded on the 
opinion, that man is depraved, turbulent, and wicked ; and 
the timidity that wealth inspires, disposes the rich to re- 
gard the poor as capable only of being restrained by fet- 
ters. Is this European truth a truth in America? 



-> ' -"^v 



LETTER II 

ox THE HOUj, rUODUCTIOXS, CUM'IVATIOXS. KTC. 

May 20, 1788. 
After having instructed us on all political subjects, and 
principally those on which depend internal and external 



38 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

peace, and the security of individuals, you will have to 
contemplate the soil of America as relative to human indus- 
try, which, in its turn, influences prodigiously the different 
modes of living. 

It seems, in this respect, that all the great divisions of 
the earth should resemble each other. It is possible, how- 
ever, that America offers, in the same space, more ailments 
to industry, more data, than can be found in Europe. Fix 
our ideas upon those invitations that nature has traced 
on the soil of America, in addressing herself to the human 
understanding. To particularize minutely what the maps 
only give us in gross, will be more worthy of your atten- 
tion, than the details which interest the painter, the poet, 
or the lover of an English garden. 

We have undertaken to advise the Americans to be cul- 
tivators, and to leave to the Europeans those manufac- 
tures which agree not with a country life. You ^\'ill be 
curious to discover their disposition in this respect. It 
ought to depend |much on the facility of communication ; 
and if, as it appears, independent America, in a little time, 
and with small expense, may be intersected by canals in 
all directions; if this advantage is so generally felt, that 
they will apply themselves to it at an early period, there 
is no doubt but in America human activity will be occupied 
principally in the production of subsistence, and of raw 
materials. 

It is the opinion in Europe, that consuanption causes 
production, and that the failure of consumption discour- 
ages labour; for this reason they require cities and manu- 
factures. But there is, in all these opinions, a great con- 
fusion of ideas, which the spectacle of nations, rising under 
the protection of liberty, will aid you in clearing up. You 
will see, perhaps, with evidence, that a man ceases to fear 
the superfluity of subsistences, when he is no longer under 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 39 

the necessity of exchaugiuj; them for money, to pay his 
taxes and his rents. Should tliis he liis fear, and he has 
near him the means of a cheap transport, if he may himself 
load his boat and carry his provisions to market, and make 
his traffic without quitting his boat, man is too fond of 
activity to suffer suj)ertiuity to impede his industry. Thus, 
to engage him to open the bosom of the earth, there is no 
need that he should be assured beforehand what he shall 
do with his grain. Expenses are the impediments of 
industry; and you will see without doubt, in America, a 
new order of things, where these expenses are not eml)ar- 
rassing; the theory of consumption, and production, is 
doubtless very different, from what is supposed in Europe. 
Endeavoui". my friend, to call to mind, that in this we have 
need of more details, comparisons, calculations, facts, and 
proofs, than travellers generally bring together; and that 
this part of political economy is still entirely new, on ac- 
count of the emltarrassments, abstractions, difficulties, and 
disgusts which attend them in Europe. 

It is on the accounts that you will give us in this re- 
spect, that the opinion.s of your friends will be formed. So 
many misadventures and misinformations have hitherto 
accompanied emigrants, though virtuous, and otherwise 
well informed, that people are intimidated from the at- 
tempt, though ill-situated in Europe. Yon know what the 
(Jenevians have suffered, ratlier than to go to Ireland. 

Thus, my friend, if you wish to instruct those who 
would fly from the tyranny of Europe, and who would find 
a situation of ]u)nest industry for their cliildren, study the 
history of emigrants. Stiidy the causes of the disasters 
of travellers; judge of their illusions; go to the places of 
debarkation, and learn the precautious necessary to be 
taken to render easy and agreeable their first arrival. 



40 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

Bcgiu witli such as yoii know tu be in easy circiun 
stances, ami descending, by degrees, to the honest indi- 
vidual, who, full of health and vigour, his coat on his back, 
and his staff in his hand, carries with him all he possesses; 
inform each one what he ought to expect, if, after con- 
quering all his aversions, and taking all his precautions, 
he determines to quit Europe, to go to the land of liberty. 
Finally', my friend, in all that concerns private life, as 
in political relations, in the means of acijuiring fortune; 
as in the honest ambition of serving the public, let your 
ol)servatious attest that you have neglected no means of 
comparing the enjoyments of Europe, with what may be 
expected aimoug the free Americans. 

LETTER III 

plan of a coloxy to be established l.\ amkuica 
May 21, 1788 

When we contemplate the American IJevolutitm, tlie 
circumstances which have opposed its jjvefection, tlie 
knowledge Ave are able to collect for the institution of re- 
publics on a more perfect plan, the lands destined by Con- 
gress for new States, and the multitude of happy circum- 
stances which may facilitate their ]ire])aratives, and pro- 
tect their infancy, Ave arc hurried insensibly into projects 
chimerical at the first sight, Avhich become attractive by 
reflection, and which Ave abandon, but witli regret, on ac- 
count of the difficulty of finding a sufficient numlier of 
persons for their execution. 

When a tract of land is offered for sale, and its limits 
ascertained, why cannot it be prepared, in all circum- 
stances, for a republic, in the same manner as y<iu in-ep ire 
a house for your friends? 

Penn had already seen the necessity of I'cgulating be- 
forehand, the conduct of a colony on the soil Avhicli (Iiey 



UNITED STATES OF xVMEKICA 41 

v.eve going to inhabit. AVe liave at present many more ad- 
vantages tlian he had, to ordain and execute the same thing 
witli more success; and, instead of savages, Avho gave him 
trouble, we should at present be sustained and protected 
by tlie States, with which we would be connected. 

I have no doubt, that, having acquii'ed the soil, we 
might establish a republic, better calculated for peace and 
liappiuess, than any now existing, or that ever did exist. 
Uitherto they have formed from chance and involuntary 
combinations. It has been necessary in them all, that na- 
tional innovations should be reconciled with absurdities, 
knowledge with ignorance, good sense with prejudices, and 
wise institutions with barbarisms. Hence that chaos, that 
eternal source of distresses, disputes, and disorders. 

If men of wisdom and information should organize tlie 
]i]an of a society before it existed, and extend their fore- 
sight to evei-y circumstance of perparing proper institu- 
tions for the forming of the morals public and private, and 
the encouragement of iudusti'v, ouglit they to be con- 
demned as having formed an Euto])ia? I do not believe 
it. It is ray o])inion. even thnt the love of gain, the love of 
novelty, and the spirit of philosophy, would lend a liand 
to nn enter]iris(', which, befoi-e tlie American Kevolution, 
might have been judged impracticable. 

Profit, therefore, of your travels in America, to inform 
youi-self, if, among the lands to be sold by Congress, there 
exists not a situation of easy access, where the nature of 
the soil is favourable to industry, and its other circum- 
stances inviting to the first settlers. It .should bo furnished 
with easy communications by land and water. 

For this jiurjiose, tliere should be a topographical map 
and descrii)tion, sufficiently minute and extended, to en- 
able us to trace upon it the smaller divisions. There ought 
to be found levels, relative to a certain point, in order to 



42 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

know beforehand the possibility of canals. All other ob- 
jects of consequence ought to be noted at the same time; 
such as the nature of the soil in every part, the kinds of 
timber, the quarries of stone, etc. This Avill doubtless be 
an expensive operation ; but any expeuces may be under- 
taken l)y great associations, and here are motives suffi- 
cient to encourage and reward a very expensive one. 

It will be necessary to know, on what conditions the 
Congress would treat for the cession of such a tract, and 
whether they would agree to take the principal part of the 
payment, only as fast as the settlers should come to take 
possession of their lauds. 

It would be desirable that the territory chosen should 
be such that, at the place of the first settlement, it would 
be easy to establish conveniences for the reception of the 
settlers, to provide them such necessaries as will preserve 
them from those embarrassments and calamities which 
sometimes throw infant settlements into trouble, misery, 
and despair. 

After having acquired an exact idea of what may be 
expected from the natui-e of the places, we might then un- 
dertake the work of forming a political and civil legisla- 
tion, suited to the new republic, and its local circum- 
stances. Such should be the task to be accomplished be- 
fore the people de])arted from hence; that every settler 
might know beforehand what laws he is to live under, so 
that he will consent to them beforehand by choice. 

The previous regulations ought to be carried so far, 
that every person should foresee where he was going, and 
what he was to do in order to fulfill his engagements; 
whether he was a purcha.ser of lands, or had enrolled him- 
self as a labourer. 

The lands should not be sold out to individuals by 
chance, and according to the caprice of each purchaser; 



UNITED STATES OF AiMEEICA 43 

but a plau sbould be persucd in the population, that the 
people might aid each other in their labours, and be a mu- 
tual solace and protection to their neighbourhood. 

The public expenses, those of religion and education, 
should be furnished by the produce of a portion of land 
reserved in each district for that purpose. These lands 
could be the public domain ; they ought to be put in culti- 
vation the first. There ought perhaps to l)e a regulation 
for a regular supply of workmen on the public lands, roads, 
and other public works. By this we should always have 
employment for new comers, and might receive all men 
capable of labour, provided their manners and character 
were such as to entitle them to be members of the new 
republic. 

These details will be sufficient to recall to your mind, 
our freipieut conversations on a plan of this kind. If you 
can acquire from Congress the certaiutj' of being able to 
realize it, so far as it depends on them, and we have only 
to find the company here to undertake it — I believe it may 
be easily done in Europe. 

The compauy will have lands to sell, their price will 
augment in proportion as they come in vogue. The company 
will endeavour to render it an object of general attention, 
by the preparations made for the reception of the first set- 
tlers, in order to avoid the difficulties incident to the be- 
ginning of an establishment. I doubt not, therefore, that 
this project will offer a sufficient prospect of gain, to en- 
gage people to adventure in it many millions of livres. 

The better to determine them to it, the interest should 
be divided into small shares, and proper measures taken 
to assure the holders of shares of an administration worthy 
of confidence, to prevent the abuses of trust, and watch 
over the execution of their i-esolves, both respecting their 
interest, and that of the settlers. 



44 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

A prospectus, sufficiently detailed, should inform the 
public of the nature of the enterprise, the principal object 
of which should be to realize a republic, founded on the 
lessons of experience and good sense, on the principles of 
fraternity and e<iuality, which ought to unite mankind. 

The principal means of its execution will be to have 
purchased the lands so as to be able to resell them at a 
price sufficiently low, to encourage their cultivation, and 
at the same time with sufficient profit to the company. For 
it is natural to observe, that the difference between the 
original value of lands in their wild state, and their value 
Avhen an active settlement is begun upon them, will assure 
to the first purchasers a prodigious profit from their first 
advances. 

This, however, supposes, as I have alread\' mentioned, 
that, receiving a small proportion of the purchase-money 
when the purchase is made, the Congress will consent to 
receive the principal payments only in proportion as the 
lands may be re-sold to individuals; without this condi- 
tion, the enterprise would require such great advances as 
to discourage the undertaking. 

Thus, the funds of the company should be composed, 1. of 
the first payments to Ite made to Congress; 2. the expenses 
necessary in acquiring a topographical knowledge of the 
territory, and in making its divisions; 3. the funds neces- 
sary for public works, and the establishment for the recep- 
tion of those who arrive, to ensure them against want and 
discouragement. 

These three objects will doubtless require a consider- 
able fund; but the rising value of the lands to be sold, and 
to be paid for only as fast as they are sold, will greatly in- 
demnify the nndertakers. These are the solid arguments 
to be offered to the lovers of gain. Many other considera- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 45 

tious might be detailed in the prospectus, to determine 
philosophers and friends of humanity to become sharers. 

This is enough, my friend, to recall to your mind more 
ideas than 1 can give you on the subject. Study it; and 
if at the first view it looks romantic, find the means of sav- 
ing it from that objection ; converse upon it with intelli- 
gent ijersons; find such as are sufficiently attached to great 
objects, to be willing to concur in them with zeal, when 
they are designed for the aid and consolation of humanity. 

Age will prevent me from undertaking in this great 
work. It seems to me, that there is nothing like it in times 
past, that it would be greatly useful to the future, and 
would mark the Amei-ican revolution with one of the hap- 
piest effects which it can produce. Is not this enough to 
animate the generous ambition of those who have youth, 
health, and courage, so as nut to be frightened at difficul- 
ties, or disheartened by delays? 

LETTER IV. 

May 21, 1788. 

The Utopia will be but a dream ; and you will find, 
without doubt, the new American settlements invincibly 
destined to a scattering herd of people, who will form in- 
sensibly, by the addition of new families and individuals ; 
without following any plan, without providing such laws 
as would be suitable to tliem, when their herds shall be- 
come sufficiently numerous to be represented as a republic 
in the federal union. It is thus that all political systems 
seem condemned to resemble what has already taken place 
in such and such a State, according as the multitude, or 
some bold leader, shall decide. 

We must, then, abandon this project; and then, where 
will you place those friends whom we wish to establish in 
America? You will inform yourself, for them, of the pro- 



46 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

gress of population and civilization in Kentucky, of which 
they tell so many wonders. But reflect on two things: 
first, that our settlement will be very uncertain, if we must 
go ourselves to prepare it, build houses, etc. Some per- 
sons must, therefore, go before the others ; and when shall 
they rejoin? How many accidents may intervene. When 
the emigrant society shall be formed in Europe, the mem- 
bers oxight all to go at once; but in that case they should 
make choice of a certain tract in the neighborhood of a 
town, where the people could be lodged, till they could 
build their houses. This precaution seems to exclude Ken- 
tucky; for no good town is sufficiently near it. You will 
see, then, my friend, how it will be possible to reconcile 
every thing, and find a position where the pain and vexa- 
tion will not surpass the satisfaction. Your task is not 
a trifling one in making this examination; for you must 
not forget, that, to satisfy the persons whom we wish not 
to leave behind, we must have a situation where we can 
unite the advantages of commerce with those of agricul- 
ture; we must be near a navigable river, communicating 
with the sea; we must have a town, where we can find 
sailors, vessels, etc., in a word, those among us who shall 
have been accustomed to the affairs of commerce and of 
manufactures, must not be placed in a position which shall 
force them absolutely to renounce their habits, and expose 
themselves to regrets; for you know that one is never 
weary in walking, as long as a horse or a carriage marches 
by his side, which he may use whenever he pleases. 

It is a pity that Pittsburgh is not more populous, or 
that Virginia is separated by deserts from the new states. 

It is useless to enter into more particular details on 
this matter ; you know us. I shall only recommend to you 
an attention to the climate. A fine sky, temperature of 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 47 

Paris, uo musketoes, agreeable situation, and good soil, are 
thiugs indispeusable. 

The numerous observations wliioh you propose to col- 
lect for the iustrucliou of the public, will inform us of 
many other things, which I should mention here, if they 
did not enter iuto your general plan. In observing cus- 
toms and tastes, forget not the article of music, considered 
in its effects on the powers of the mind. The taste for 
music is general in Europe ; we make of it one of the prin- 
cipal objects of education. Is it so in America? 

Fiually, as we are not needy adveuturers, think what 
answers you must give, wiien our wives, our children, and 
even ourselves, shall ask you what is to be done on our ar- 
rival in considerable uuml)ers in any town in America; 
for. as we cannot send forward a messenger, we ought to 
provide for our debarkation in an unknown couutrj-. 

LETTER V. 

May 22, 1788. 

After having given you my thoughts on general sub- 
jects, it is unnecessary to be more particular on those 
which promise a more certain and palpable advantage to 
your tiavels. I mean the purchase of lands or public 
funds, according as circumstances may invite. 

Three classes of persons may wish to purchase lands in 
the United States : tliose wlio mean to employ v)thers to 
cultivate them, those who will cultivate for themselves, and 
those who wish to place their money in them, with the 
prospect that these lands will increase in value, in propor- 
tion to the population. 

Let us leave the two first classes to make their own 
choice. Your general observations, to be published on your 
return, will instruct such as wish to remove to America, 
how to go and choose for themselves. 



48 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

The ease of the simple speculators is different. Some 
wish to purchase, to sell again to a profit as soon as pos- 
sible; others extend their views farther, and, calculating 
the vicissitudes of Europe, tind it very prudent to place a 
dead fund in lauds, which, hy the eilect of ueighbouring 
population, will acquire a great value iu the course of 
years. 

Mauy heads of families, provident for their descend- 
ants, ijlace dead funds iu a bank, to accumulate, in favour 
of their children. A greater number would do the same 
thing, if there were a satisfactory solution of all questions 
iu the Chapter of Accidents. Now, nothing appears to me 
better to answer this wise precaution, than to phdce such 
money on the cultivated soil of the United States. 

The iuformation that you will be able to give on this 
subject, will be very useful. There are lauds which, from 
their position, must remain uncleared fur a louger or 
shorter period; others rendered valuable by the neighbour- 
hood of rivers aud other important communicatious ; others 
on account of their timber, etc., etc. 

But, can lands be purchased with full surety? Are 
there any sure methods established, to recognize territorial 
property, that may rest for some time without visible 
marks or bounds? Is there no risk of tinding one's prop- 
erty in the possession of another, or of having purchased 
that of another? 

The present is the epoch that will decide the Euro- 
peans, as to their coufidence in the United States. I doubt 
not but the States in general will sanction the constitution ; 
and from that time every eye ought to look upon America 
as being in the road of unfailing prospei'ity. Then, with- 
out doubt, many Europeans will think of purchasing lands 
there. I know of no period when the spirit of speculation 
has been so general as at present ; no period which presents 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 49 

a revolution like that of iuilepemleut Atueiica; and no 
foundation so solid as that which they are nhout to estab- 
lisli. Thus, past events prove nothing against what I pre- 
sume of the dispositions of men's minds I'elative to this 
business. 

I should not be astonished, then, if he who applies him- 
self to the knowledge of lauds in this point of view, and 
gives solutions to all questions of caution and diffidence, 
should engage tlie Europeans to very great purchases. 

LETTER YI. 

METHOD OF OBSKUVATIOXS l'\)K ?,IY TKAVKl.S IX .V.MKKIC.V.* 

May, 17SS. 
My principal object is to examine tlie effects of liberty 
on the cliai-acter of man, of society, and of gnvernment. 
This being the gi'and point of all my observations, in order 
to arrive at it, I must write every evening, in a journal, 
what has principallj' struck me in the day. As my observa- 
tions \\ill refer to five or six grand divisions, I sliall luake 
a tablet f(n' each division. The following are the divisions : 

Federal Qocrrnmcnt. 
To c(dlect all those points in whicli the ancient system 
resembles the new — to obtain all that has been written on 
the sid)ject; among other things, the Letters of Pulillus — ■ 
to remark the inconveniences of tlie old system, the ad- 
vantages of the new, the objections made against it, the 
general opinions on the new government. 

<)hsrrrntio)i}t of Mjj Friend Clarierc. 
A number of little states, wluise extent is not so great 
as to render tlie operations of their individual government 
too complicated, may be united under one general gov- 
ernment, charged with maintaining internal peace, and 

*I thoupht proper to piiMi*;!! this nic'liorl ; It nny be useful to ctlier tr.ive!lcr3. Tiio 
method Is mine ; the observations are from M. Clavlere. 



50 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

rendering- their union respectable abroad. Sueli, without 
doubt, is the political association which is attended with 
the greatest advantages. You must then endeavour prin- 
cipally to tind what we have a right to expect from the 
present federal form of the United States. 

Government of Each State. 

To comsider the compo.sition of the legislative body, the 
senate, and executive power, elections, any abuses that may 
be in them. Compare the effects of each legislature, to 
judge which is the best. 

Observations. — AVliat are we to expect from their dis- 
similarities? In what do they consist principally? They 
all acknowledge the supremacy of the people; but it is not 
preserved to them in an equal manner in all; and where 
they cannot resume it Avithout a sedition, there can be little 
certainty of peace. Peace is very doubtful, likewise, where 
the will of the people is subject to the slow forms of in- 
struction. The different States should be examined after 
this principle. 

Legislation, Civil, Criminal, Police. 
In examining these objects, facts only are to be attended 
to. Tlieir comparison with those of other countries can 
be made afterwards. 

State of the Commerce Between Each State, and the Sav- 
ages, the Canadians, Nova Scotia, the English Is- 
lands, France, Spain, Holland, Northern 
State of Europe, Mexico, China, 
India, and Africa. 
To remark the principal articles of exportation and im- 
portation; the number of vessels employed; the state of 
money used in commerce. 

Observations. — Forget not to fix well the matters of 
exchange, especially with the Spanish possessions; for it 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 51 

is principally theuce that their gold and silver must come. 
Do they go by laud to the western coast of America? Do 
the free Americans travel among their neighbors, the 
Spaniards? 

Is their money-system a simple one? Has it a standard 
constant and easy to conceive? Is it of a permanent na- 
ture ; so that, in a course of time, one may always judge of 
the price of things, in bringing them to a term of compar- 
ison not liable to change? Tliis can only be done l)y having 
one integral metal, to which others relate, either as mer- 
chandize, or as a bill of credit referi-iug to money, with re- 
gard to which it expresses a I'ight, but not an intrinsic 
value. A piece of coined copper, for instance, is a bill of 
credit, on a portion of that metal which is adapted as the 
standard of value; for coined copper has l)y no means the 
intrinsic value of that portion of money whicli it repre- 
sents. 

BanliS. 
Observations. — Banks are an important article in the 
commonwealth ; the proportion which they observe between 
the money they contain, and the bills they circulate, is their 
great secret, the criterion of their solidity. Those wliich 
liave little or no money, and which circulate many bills, 
are in a precarious and dangerous condition. Read ^^ith 
attention in Smith, the History of Banks in Scotland. It 
is very natural to be led astray on this subject, which can- 
not be too much simplified, if you wish to examine it 
thoroughly. 

Federal Revenue of Each State — Ta.rcs Which Theij Im- 
pose — Manner of Collect in ri Then) — Effects 
of These Taxes. 
Observations. — What is the prevailing system of taxa- 
tion? Is land considered as the basis of taxes? In tliat 



152 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

case, is it known that it is dangerous to discourage the 
farmer? Wliy have they not reserved a domain to the 

States. 

The Federal Debt of Every State — Those of Indivklnals — • 
Federal Expenses of Each State — Their AccountahUiiy. 

Observations. — The debt has been reduced; and tliey 
justify this reduction by the enormous jjrices of provisions 
and stores which Iiave formed the debt. Head again the 
Memoirs of Mr. S. you will see that there was a moment 
when the scale of depreciation was unjust. 

There are curious enquiries to be made on tliis subject. 
Why did they gain so much before they allowed a deprecia- 
tion? Because tliey ran a risk of another kind; they 
doubted of the possibility of payment, because they were 
not sure of the success of the revolution. In this point of 
view, how do they justify the scale of depreciation, es- 
pecially towards those wlio had no interest in the revolu- 
tion? 

Money was very scarce; this was a great cause of dis- 
credit. It must have been distressing to those who were 
reduced to the necessity of borrowing; hence great aug- 
mentations in the prices of articles. In some instances, 
was not the reduction unjust? Tliis, taken from first to 
last, must be a very curious history. It will, perhaps, 
teach us, that they have made a fraudulent bankruptcy. 
But, in this case, there is nothing to fear from this con- 
clusion; besides, supposing extortion on the part of the 
creditors, it does not justify a reduction on the part of the 
debtor; nothing but necessity can justify this. The new 
encyclopedia says, that the disorders which occasioned the 
depreciation, existed before the war. 

But if paper-money existed then, that of every State 
was not in discredit ; and yet the depreciation has struck 
at all paper-money without exception. 



UNITED STATES OF AiMEKICA 53 

It is said in the eucyclopedia, that the depreciation has 
not injured strangers. Is this a fact? 

It is very important to obtain a just idea of tlie public 
expenses necessary to the Americans in future; and to 
penetrate, as much as possible, the public opinion on this 
subject. What do they think of loans? They are some- 
times a benefit; but the wisest governments are the most 
careful to avoid this resource. When they once begin, they 
know not where they can stop. 

Public loans are always so much taken from industry; 
and the theory of restoring to it what is thus taken, is 
always deceitful. 

The Ajuericans ought to hold them in aversion, from 
the evils which they now experience from them; at least, 
unless they owe their liberty to them. 

State of the Country Near the Great Town>^ — Interior 

Parts — Frontiers — Cultivation; Its Ei-poiecs and 

Produce; Clearing New Lands; What Enrouraf/es 

or Hinders It — Money Circulating in the 

Country — Country Manufacturers. 

Observations. — It is said, that the lands are unculti- 
vated near New York; that this town is surrounded with 
forests, and that though firewood is cheap, they prefer 
coals, even at a high price. 

It should seem, that commerce was in such a state at 
New York, that agriculture is despised there, or that they 
purchase provisions at a lower price than they can raise 
them. If this be true, there are singularities to be ex- 
plained, whicli we know nothing of in Europe. 

Consider the state of commerce and of argiculture in 
America, under such a point of view as to detertnine why 
they incline to the one rather than to the other. 

You will find, perhaps, that the origin of new comers 
determines their vocation. The English arrive with their 



54 :ne\v tkavels in the 

heads filled with coniiuerce, because they have some prop- 
erty; the Scotch, Irish, Cieriuaus, aud others, who arrive 
poor, turu to agriculture, and are, besides, for the greater 
part, peasants. In clearing up these facts, you will tell us 
what a little property, the love of labour, united to sim- 
plicity of manners, and turned to agriculture, will produce. 

What is the true reason of the low price of cultivated 
farms and houses? Doubtless thei-e is a great excess of 
productions, compared with the consumptions; in that case, 
farming renders little profit. 

They speak much of the advantages of reiiring cattle. 
Nations have prejudices, tastes, whims, like individuals. 
^Vhat do they think of nuinufactures in the United States? 
What is the prevailing mode of agriculture in America? 
Do they sj^eak of the great aud the little culture? 

Private Morals in the Toirus and in the Country. 

Observations. — Do you find manners truly American? 
or do you rather, at every instant, find Europe at your 
heels? Speak to us of education, public aud private. Do 
they, as in Europe, sacrifice the time of the youth in use- 
less aud insignificant studies? Make ac(iuaiutance, as far 
as possible, with the ministers of religion. Is paternal au- 
thority more respected there than in Europe? Does the 
mild education of Kousseau prevail among the free Ameri- 
cans? 

Inequalities of Fortune. 

Forget not, under this head, the subject of marriages, 
dowers, and testaments. Usages, in these respects, prevent 
or accelerate inequality. 

LETTER I. 
From M. De Warville. 

Ha%Te de Grace, June 3, 1788. 
I am at last, my friend, arrived near the ocean, and in 
sight of the ship that is to carry me from my country. I 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 55 

quit it without regret; since the ministerial despotism 
which overwhelms it, leaves nothiug to expect for a long 
time, but frightful storms, slavery, or war. Jlay the woes 
which threaten this fine country, spare what I leave in it, 
the most dear to my heart. 

I shall not describe the cities and countries which I 
have passed on my way hither. My imagination was too 
full of the distressing spectacle I was leaviug behind ; my 
mind was thronged with too nmny cares and fears, to be 
able to make observatiou.s. Iusensil)le to all the scenes 
which presented tliemselves to me, I was with difficulty 
drawn from this intellectual paralysis, at the view of some 
parts of Normandy, which brought Euglaud to my mind. 

The fields of Normandy, especially the canton of Taux, 
display a great variety of culture. The houses of the peas- 
ants, better built, and better lighted than those of Picardy 
and Beauce, announce the ease which generally reigns in 
this pit)^ince. The peasants are well clad. You know the 
odd head-dress of the women of Caux ; the cap in the form 
of a pyramid, the hair turned back, constraiued, plaistered 
with powder and grease, and the tiusil which always dis- 
figures simple nature. But we excuse this little luxury, 
in considering that, if their husl)ands were as miserable as 
the peasants of other provinces, they would not have the 
means of paying the expence. The Norman peasants have 
that air of contentment and iudepeudence which is ob- 
servable in those of the Austrian Flanders; tliat calm and 
open countenance, an infallible sign of tlie happy medioc- 
rity, the moral goodness, and the dignity of man. If 
ever France sliall be governed by a free constitution, no 
province is better situated, or enjoys moi*e means to ar- 
rive at a high degree of prosperity. 

Bolbec and Bottes, near Havre, contain some situa- 
tions quite picturesque and delicious for the hermitage of 



56 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

a philosopher, or the mansion of a family who seek their 
happiness within themselves. 

I fled from Rouen as from all great towns. Misery 
dwells there at the side of opulence. You there meet a 
numerous train of wretches covered with rags, with sallow 
complexions, and deformed bodies. Everything announces 
that there are manufactories in that town ; that is to say, 
a crowd of miserable beings; who perish with hunger, to 
euable others to swim in opulence. 

The merchants of Havre complain much of the treaty 
of commerce between France and England; they think it 
at least premature, considering our want of a constitution, 
and the superiority of the English industry. They com- 
plain likewise that the merchant was not consulted in form- 
ing it. I endeavoured to console them by saying that the 
consequences of this treaty, joined with other circum- 
stances, would doubtless lead to a free constitution; which, 
by knocking off the shackles from the French industry and 
commerce, would enable us to repair our losses; and that 
some bankruptcies would be but a small price for liberty. 
With regard to the indifference of the ministry in consult- 
ing the merchants, I convinced them, that it was as much 
the result of servile fear, and want of public spirit in the 
merchants, as of the prinicples of an unlimited monarchy. 
It admits to the administration none but short-sighted in- 
triguers, and presumptuous knaves; and this kind of min- 
isters love not consultations. 

Havre is, next to Nantz and Bordeaux, the most con- 
siderable place for the slave trade. Many rich houses in 
this city owe their fortunes to this infamous traffic, which 
Increases, instead of diminishing. There is, at present, 
a great demand for slaves in the colonies, occasioned by the 
augmentation of the demand for sugar, coffee, and cotton 
in Europe. Is it true then that wealth increases? You 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 57 

may believe it, perhaps, if you look into Englaud; but the 
interior parts of Fl'ance give no such idea. 

Our negio traders believe, that were it not for the eon- 
siderable premiums given by the government, this trade 
could not subsist ; because the English sell their slaves at 
a much lower price than the French. I have many of these 
details from an American captain, who is well ac(iuainted 
with the Indies, and with Africa. He assures me, that the 
negroes are, in general, treated much better on board the 
French than the English ships. And, perhaps, this is the 
reason why the French cannot support a concurrence with 
the English, wlio noui-ish them worse, and expend less. 

I spoke with some of these merchants of the societies 
formed in America, England, and France, for the abolition 
of this horrid commerce. They did not know of their ex- 
istence, and they consi<lered their efforts as the movements 
of a Itliud and dangerous enthusiasm. Filled with old pre- 
judices, and not having read any of the profound discus- 
sions which this philosophical and political insurrection 
has excited in England, they ceased not to rei^eat to me, 
that the culture of sugar could not be carried on, but by 
the blacks, and by black slaves. The whites, they say, can- 
not undertake it, on account of the extreme heat ; and no 
work can be drawn out of the blacks, but by the force of 
the whip. 

To this objection, as to twenty others which I have 
heard a hundred times repeated, I opposed the victorious 
answers which you know* ; but I converted nobody. Inter- 
est still speaks too high ; and it is not enough instructed. 

These French merchants have confirmed to me a fact, 
which the society in London has announced to us; it is, 
that the English carry on this trade under the name of 
French houses, and thus obtain the premiums which the 



See ClarKson, Frossard, etc. 



58 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

French government gives to this commerce. These prem- 
iums amount to one-half of the original price of the slaves. 

I mentioned to them an establishment formed at Sierra 
Leona, to cultivate sugar by free hands, and extend their 
culture and civilization in Africa. They answered me, 
that this settlement would not long subsist; that the 
French and Englisli merchants viewed it with an evil eye, 
and Avould employ force to destroy their rising colony.* 

These merchants appeared to me to have more prejudice 
than inhumanity ; and that if thej' could be told of a new 
commerce more advantageous, it would not be difficult to 
induce them to abandon the sale of the wretched Africans. 
Write then, print, and be not weary in giving information. 

I see in this port, one of those packets destined for the 
correspondence between France and tlie United States, 
and afterwards employed in the very useless and expensive 
royal correspondence with our Islands — a system adopted 
only to favour, at the public expence, some of the creatures 
of the ministry. This ship, called Marechal de Casti-ies, 
was built in America, and is an excellent sailer. This is 
the best answer to all the fables uttered at the Office of 
Marine at Versailles, against the American timber, and 
the American construction. 

Adieu, my friend! the wind is fair, and we are on the 
point of embarking. I am impatient ; for everything here 
afflicts me ; even the accents of patrioti.sm are alarming and 
suspicious. Such is the fatal influence of arbitrary gov- 
ernments ; they sever all connections, they cramp confi- 
dence, induce suspicion, and, of consequence, force men of 
liberty and sensibility to sequester themselves, to be 
wretched, or to live in eternal fear. I paint to you, here, 
the martyrdom which I have endured for six months; I 

*Tlus infernal projcrf hns succeeded, but the triunipli will not be long: for two 
societies are formed in London, to colonize in Afric.T. and civilize the blacks. See, on 
this subject, an excellent pamphlet entitled, '■L'Ainiral refute par lul meme." 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 59 

liave uot seen a uew face, that has uot given me suspicion. 
This situation is too violent for me — in a few hours my 
l)reast will be at ease, my soul will be quiet, ^^'llat happi- 
ness I am going to enjoy in breathing a free air. 

LETTEK II. 

Boston, July 30, 1788. 
With what joy, my good friend, did 1 lea]) to tliis shore 
of liberty I I was weary of the sea ; and the sight of trees, 
of towns, and even of men, gives a delicious refreshment to 
eyes fatigued with the desert of the ocean. I flew from 
despotism, and came at last, to enjoy the spectacle of lib- 
erty, among a peojile, where nature, education, and habit 
had engraved tlie equality of rights, which every where else 
is treated as a chimera. With what pleasure did I contem- 
plate this town, wliieli first shook otT the Eu>;lish yoke! 
which, for a long time, resisted all the seductions, all the 
menaces, all the horrors of a civil war. How I delighted 
to wander up and down that long street, whose simple 
houses of wood border the magnificent channel of Boston, 
and whose full stores offer me all the productions of the 
continent which I had (|uitted ! How I enjoyed the activity 
of tlie merchants, the artizans, and the sailors ! It was not 
the noisy vortex of Paris; it was not the unquiet eager men 
of my countrymen ; it was the simple, dignified air of men, 
who are conscious of liberty, and who see in all men their 
brothers and their ecpials. lOverything in tliis street bears 
the marks of a town still in its infancy, but which, even in 
its infancy, enjoys a great prosperity. I thought myself 
in that [^alentum, of which the lively pencil of Fenelon has 
left us so charming an image. But the prosperity of this 
new Salentum was not the work of one man, of a king, or a 
minister; it is the fruit of liberty, that mother of industry. 
Evei-j'thing is rapid, everything great, everything durable 



60 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

with her. A royal or ministerial prosperity, lilve a king or 
a minister, has only the duration of a moment. Boston is 
just rising from the devastations of war, and its commerce 
is flourishing; its manufactures, productions, arts, and 
sciences, oifer a number of curious and interesting ob- 
servations. 

The manners of the people are not exactly tlie same 
as described by M. de Crevecoeur. You no longer meet here 
the Presbyterian austei"itj', which interdicted all pleasures, 
even that of walking; wliich forbade travelling on Sunday, 
which pei-secuted men whose opinions were ditfei'ent from 
their own. The Bostonians unite simplicity of morals with 
that French politeness and delicacj' of manners which ren- 
der virtue more amiable. They are hospitable to strangers, 
and obliging to friends; tiiey are tender husbands, fond 
and almost idolatrous parents, and kind masters. Music, 
which their teachers formerly proscribed as a diabolic art, 
begins to make part of their education. In some houses 
you hear the forte-piano. This art, it is true, is still in its 
infancy ; but the young novices who exercise it, are so gen- 
tle, so complaisant, and so modest, that the proud perfec- 
tion of art gives no pleasure equal to what they afford. 
God grant that the Bostonian women may never, like those 
of France, acquire the malady of perfection in this art! 
It is never attained, but at the expence of the domestic 
virtues. 

The young women hero, enjoy the liberty they do in 
England, that they did in Geneva when morals were there, 
and the republic existed ; and they do not abuse it. Their 
frank and tender hearts have nothing to fear from the per- 
fidy of men. Examples of this perfidy are rare; the vows 
of love are believed ; and love always respects them, or 
shame follows the guilty. 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA Gl 

The Bostonian mothers are reserved ; tlieir air is, how- 
ever, frank, good, and commuuicative. Entirely devotnl 
to their families, thej' are occupied in rendering their hus- 
bands happy, and in training their children to virtue. 

The law announces heavy penalties against adultery; 
such as the pillory, and imprisonment. This law has 
scarcely ever been called into execution. It is because 
families are happy; and they are pure, becau.se they are 
happy. 

Neatness without luxury, is a characteristic feature of 
this purity of manners; and this neatness is seen every 
where in Boston, in their dress, in their houses, and in 
their churches. Nothing is more charming than an inside 
view of a church on Sunday'. The good cloth coat covers 
the man ; callicoes and chintzes dress the A\omen and chil- 
dren, without being spoiled by those gewgaws which whim 
and caprice have added to them among our women. Pow- 
der and pomatum never sully the heads of infants and chil- 
dren ; I see them with pain, however, on the heads of men : 
they invoke the art of the hair-dresser; for unhappily, this 
art has already crossed the seas. 

I shall never call to mind, without emotion, the pleas- 
ure I had one day in hearing the respectable Mr. Clarke, 
successor to the learned Doctor Chauncey, the friend of 
mankind. His church is in close union ^vith that of Doctor 
Cooper, to whom every good Fi*enchnian, and every friend 
of liberty, owes a tribute of gratitude, for the love he bore 
the French, and the zeal with which he defended and 
preached the American independence. I remarked in this 
auditory, the exterior of that ease, and contentment of 
which I have spoken ; that collected calmness, resulting 
from the habit of gravity, and the conscious presence of 
the Almighty ; that religious decency, which is equally dis- 
tant from grovelling idolatry, and from the light and wan- 



02 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

ton airs of those Europeans wlio go to a chnrcli as to a 
theatre. 

Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentui- ut ipsae. 

But, to crown my happiness, I saw none of those livid 
wretches, covered with rags, who in Europe, soliciting our 
compassion at the foot of the altar, seem to bear testimony 
against Providence, our hunmnity, and the order of society: 
The discourse, tlie prayer, the worship, every thing, bore 
the same simplicity. The sermon breatlied the best moral- 
ity, and it was heard witli attention. 

The excellence of this morality characterizes almost all 
the sermons of all the sects through the continent. The 
ministers rarely speak dogmas: universal tolerance, the 
cliild of American independence, has banished the preach- 
ing of dogmas, which always leads to discussion and quar- 
rels. All the sects admit nothing but morality, which is 
the same in all, and the only preaching proper for a great 
society of brothers. 

This tolerance is unlimited at Boston ; a town formerly 
witness of bloody persecutions, especially against the 
Quakers; where many of this sect paid, with their life, for 
their perseverance in their religious opinions. Just heaven ! 
how is it possible there can exist men believing sincerely in 
God, and yet barbai'ous enough to inflict death on a wo- 
man, the intrepid Dyer,* because slie thee'd and tliou'd 



«M. de WarvlUe appears to have been misinformed witli respect to the severity of 
the persecutions against the Quaiters in Massachusetts: and particulariy the circum- 
stances relating to Mrs. Dyer, Tills woman, I believe, is tlie only person ever put to 
death in that colony for anything connected with religious principles. The highest 
penalties inflicted by law against the Quakers, or any other sect, on account of its 
religion, was banishment. The Quakers then formed a settlement at Rhode Island; but 
several of them returned fretiuentiy to Massachusetts, with such a zeal for making prose- 
lytes, as to disturb the order of society. The disobedience of returning from banishment 
was then interdicted by the penalty of whipping ; this not answering the purpose, the 
terrors of death were added. This unhappy woman, inspired, it seems, with the frenzy 
of martyrdom, came to provoke the pains of this severe law. She raved in the streets, 
against the magistrates and the church : went into religious assemblies, raised loud cries 
to drown the voice of the preachers, called them tlie worshippers of Baal ; defied the 
judges, and said she would leave them no peace till they should incur the vengeance of 
Heaven, and the downfall of their own sect, by putting her to death ! 

The causes on Doth parties which led to this event, were doubtless culpable ; but, to 
compare the demerit of each, would retiuire a research equally difficult and useless at 
the present day. Persecution and contumacy are reciprocal causes and effects of the 
same evils In society; and perhaps these particular persecuted Quakers were as different 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 03 

men, because she did not believe in tlie divine mission of 
priests, because slie would follow the Gospel literally? 
But let us draw the curtain over these scenes of horror; 
they will never again sully this new continent, destined 
by heaven to be the asylum of liberty and humanity. 

Every one at present worships (lod in his own way at 
Boston. Anabaptists, Jlethodists, Quakers, and Catholics, 
profess openly their opinions: and all offices of govern- 
ment, places and emoluments, are equally open to all sects. 
Virtue and talents, and not religious opinions, are the tests 
of public eonfidence. 

The ministers of different sects live in such harmony, 
tiiat they supi)ly each other's places when any one is de- 
tained from his pulpit. 

On .seeing men think so differently on uuitters of reli- 
gion, and yet possess such virtues, it nmy be concluded, that 
one may be very honest, and believe, or not believe, in 
transubstantiation, and the word. They have concluded 
that it is best to tolerate each other, and that this is the 
worship most agreeable to God. 

Before this opinion was general among them, they had 
established another; it was the necessity of reducing divine 
worship to the greatest simplicity, to disconnect it from all 
its superstitious ceremonies, which gave it the appearance 
of id(datry ; and particularly, not to give their priests 
enormous salaries, to enable them to live in luxury and 
idleness; in a word, to restore the evangelical .simplicity. 
They have succeeded. In the country, the church has a 
glebe; in town, the ministers live on collections made each 
Sunday in the church, and the rents of pews. It is an ex- 
cellent practice to induce the ministers to be diligent in 



In their character from the present respectable order of lYiends in America, as the first 
Puritans of Boston were friim iis present inliabitants. 

The delirium about witchcraft in Massachusetts Is sometimes Ignorantly confounded 
with the persecution of the tiuakers. — Translator. 



(>4 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

their studies, and faithful in their duty; for tlie preference 
is given to liini whose discourses please the most,* and his 
salary is the most considerable: while, among us, the 
ignorant and the learned, the debauchee and the man of 
virtue, are always sure of their livings. Tt results, like- 
wise, from this, that a mode of worship will not be im- 
posed on those who do not believe in it. Is it not a tyranny 
to force men to pay for the support of a system which they 
abhor? 

The Bostonians are become so pliilosophical on the sub- 
ject of religion, that they have lately ordained a man who 
was refused by the bishop. The sect to which he belongs 
have installed him in the church, and given him the power 
to preach and to teach ; and he preaclies, and he teaches, 
and discovers good al)ilities ; for the people rarely deceive 
themselves in their choice. Tliis economical institution, 
which has no example but in the primitive church, has 
been censured by those wlio believe still in the tradition of 
orders by tlie direct descendants of the Ajiostles. But the 
Bostonians are so near believing that every man maj' be 
his own preacher, that the apostolic doctrine has not found 
very warm advocates. They will soon be, in America, in 
the situation where M. d'Alembert has placed the ministers 
of Geneva. 

Since the ancient puritan austerity has disappeared, 
you are no longer surprised to see a game of cards intro- 
duced among these good Presbyterians. When the mind 
is tranquil, in tlie enjoyment of competence and peace, it 
is natural to occupy it in this way, especially in a country 



•The truth of this remark struck me at Boston and elsewhere in the United States. 
Almost all the ministers are men of talents, or at least, men of learning. With these 
precarious salaries, tlie ministers of Boston not only live well, but they marry, and rear 
large families of childi-en. This fact confirms the judicious remarks of M. Claviere on 
the advantages of the priests marrying, even when their salary is small. Their alliance 
would be sought after, by fathers who would wish to give their daughters husbands well 
instructed, and of good morals. The same thing will happen in France when the priests 
shall be allowed to marry. They ought not, then, to dread marriage, though their 
salaries should be small. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 65 

Avliere there is no theatre, where men make it not a business 
to pay court to the women, where they read few books, and 
cultivate still less the sciences. The taste for cards is cer- 
tainly unhappy in a republican State. The habit of them 
contracts tlie mind, prevents the acquisition of useful 
knowledge, leads to idleness and dissipation, and gives 
birth to every malignant passion. Happily it is not very 
considerable in Boston; yon see here no fathers of families 
risking their whole fortunes in it. 

There are many clulis at Boston. M. Chastellux speaks 
of a particular club held once a week. I was at it several 
times, and was much pleased with their politeness to 
strangers, and the knowledge displayed in their conversa- 
tion. There is no coffee-house at Boston, New York, or 
Philadelphia. One house in each town, that they call by 
tliat name, serves as an exchange. 

One of the principal pleasures of tlie inhabitants of 
these towns, consists in little parties for the country, 
among families and friends. The principal expence of the 
parties, especially after dinner, is tea. In this, as in their 
whole manner of living, the Americans in general resemble 
the English. Punch, warm and cold, before dinner; ex- 
cellent beef, and Spanish and Bordaux wines, cover their 
tables, alwaj's solidly and abundantly served. Spruce beer, 
excellent cyder, and Philadelphia porter, precetle the 
wines. This porter is equal to the Euglisli : the manufac- 
ture of it saves a vast tribute formerly paid to the English 
industry. The same may soon be said with respect to 
cheese. I have often found American cheese equal to the 
best Cheshire of England, or the Kocfort of France. This 
may witli trutli be said of that made on a farm on Eliza- 
beth Island, belonging to the respectable Governor Bow- 
doin. 

5 



66 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

After forcing- tlie Euglish to give up their domination, 
the Americans determined to rival them in every thing 
useful. This spirit of emulation shows itself every where : 
it had erected at Boston an extensive glass manufactory, 
belonging to M. Breek and others. 

This spirit of emulation has opened to the Bostonians, 
so many channels of commerce, which leads them to all 
parts of the globe. 

Nil mortalibus arduum est; 
Audax Japeti genus. 

If these lines could ever apply to anj^ peoi^le, it is to 
the free Americans. No danger, no distauce, no obstacle 
impedes them. What have they to fear? All mankind are 
their brethren : they wash peace with all. 

It is this spirit of emulation, which multiplies and 
brings to jjerfectiou so many manufactories of cordage in 
this town; which has erected filatures of hemp and flax, 
proper to occupy young people, without subjecting them to 
be crowded together in such numbers as to ruin their 
health and their morals; proper, likewise, to occupy that 
class of women whom the long voyages of their seafaring 
husbands and other accidents reduce to inoccupation. 

To this spirit of emulation are owing the manufactories 
of salt, nails, paper and paper-hangings, Avhich are multi- 
plied in this State. The rum distilleries are on the decline, 
siuce tlie suppression of the slave trade, in which this 
liquor was employed, and since the diminution of the use 
of strong spirits by the country people. 

This is fortunate for the human race ; and the American 
industry will soon repair the small loss it sustains from 
the decline of tliis fabrication of poisons. 

Massachusetts wishes to rival, in manufactures, Con- 
necticut and Pennsylvania ; she has, like the last, a society 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 67 

formed for the eucouragenieut of luauufactiires aud in- 
dustry. 

The greatest monuments of the industry of this State, 
are the three bridges of Charles, Maiden, and Essex. 

Boston has the glory of having given the first college 
or university to the new world. It is placed on an exten- 
sive plain, four miles from Boston, at a place called Cam- 
bridge; the origin of tliis useful institution was in 1636. 
The inmginatiou could not fix on a place that could better 
unite all conditions essential to a seat of education; 
sufficiently near to Boston, to enjoy all the advantages of 
a communication with Europe and the rest of the world ; 
and sufficiently distant, not to expose the students to the 
contagion of licentious manners, common in commercial 
towns. 

The air of Cambridge is pure, and the environs charm- 
ing, oftering vast space for the exercise of the youth. 

The buildings are large, numerous, and well distri- 
buted. But as the number of the students augments every 
day, it will be necessary soon to augment the buildings. 
The library, and the cabinet of philosophy, do honour to 
the institution. The first contains 13,000 volumes. The 
heart of a Frenchman palpitates on finding the works of 
Racine, of Montesquieu, and the Encyclopaedia, where, 
150 years ago, arose the smoke of the savage calumet. 

The regulation of the course of studies here, is nearly 
the same as that at the university of Oxford. I think it 
impossible but that the last revolution must introduce a 
great reform. Free men ought to strip themselves of their 
prejudices, and to perceive, that, above all, it is necessary 
to be a man and a citizen ; and that the study of the dead 
languages, of a fastidious philosophy and theology, ought 
to occupy few of the moments of a life, whicli might be use- 



68 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

fully employed iu studies more advantageous to the great 
family of the human race. 

Such a cliange in tlie studies is more i^robable, as an 
academy is formed at Boston, composed of respectable men, 
who cultivate all the sciences; and who, disengaged from 
religious prejudices, will doubtless very soon point out a 
course of education more short, and more sure in forming 
good citizens and philosophers. 

Mr. Bowdoin, president of this academy, is a man of 
universal talents. He unites with his profound erudition, 
the virtues of a magistrate, and the principles of a repub- 
lican politician. His conduct has never disappointed the 
confidence of his fellow-citizens; though his son-in-law, Mr. 
Temple, has incurred their universal detestation, for the 
versatility of his conduct during the war, and his open at- 
tachment to the British since the peace. To recompense 
him for this, the English have given him the consulate- 
general of America. 

But to return to the university of Cambridge — super- 
intended by the respectable president Willard. Among the 
associates in the direction of the studies, are distinguished 
.Doctor Wigglesworth and Doctor Dexter. The latter is 
professor of natural philosophy, chemistry, and medicine ; 
a man of extensive knowledge, and great modesty. He 
told me, to my great satisfaction, that he gave lectures on 
the experiments of our school of chemistry. The excellent 
work of my respectable master, Doctor Fonrcroy, was in 
his hands, which taught him the rapid strides that this 
science had lately made in Europe. 

In a free country, every thing ought to bear tlie stamp 
of patriotism. This patriotism, so happily displayed in 
the foundation, endowment, and encouragement of this 
university, appears every year in a solemn feast celebrated 
at Cambridge in honour of the Sciences. This feast, which 



UNITED STATES OP AMEKICA 69 

takes place ouce a year iu all colleges of America, is 
called the coiiimencement : it resembles the exercises and 
distribiitiou of prizes in our colleges. It is a day of joy 
for Boston ; almost all its inhabitants assemble in Cam- 
bridge. The most distinguished of the students display 
their talents in presence of the public ; and these exercises, 
which are generally on patriotic subjects, are terminated 
by a feast, where reign the freest gaiety, and the most cor- 
dial fraternity. 

It is remarked, that, iu the countries chiefly devoted to 
commerce, tlie sciences are not carried to any higli degree. 
This remark applies to Boston. The university certainly 
contains men of Avorth and leaiming ; but science is not dif- 
fused among the inhabitants of the town. Commerce oc- 
cupies all their ideas, turns all their heads, and absorbs all 
their speculations. Thus you find few estimable works, 
and few authors. The expense of the first volume of the 
Memoirs of the Academy of this town, is not yet covered ; 
it is two years since it appeared. Some time since was 
published the history of the late troubles in Massachusetts; 
it is very well written. The author has found much dif3fi- 
culty to indemnify himself for the expence of printiug it. 
Never has the whole of the precious history of New Hamp- 
shire, by Belnap, appeared, for want of encouragement. 

Poets, for the same reason, must be more rare than 
other writers. They speak, however, of an original, but 
lazy poet, by tiie name of Allen. His verses are said to be 
full of warmth and force. They mention particularly a 
manuscript poem of his on the famous battle of Bunker 
Hill; but he will not print it. He has for his reputation 
and his money the carelessness of La Fontaine. 

They publish a magazine here, though the number of 
gazettes is very considerable. Tlie multi]ilicity of gazettes 
proves the activity of commerce, and the taste for politics 



70 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and news; the merits and multiplicity of literary and poll 
tical magazines are signs of the culture of the sciences. 

You may judge from these details, that the arts, ex 
cept those that respect navigation, do not receive much en 
couragement here. The history of the Planetarium of Mr 
Pope is a proof of it. Mr. Pope is a very ingenious artist 
occupied in clock-making. The machine which he has con 
structed, to explain the movement of the heavenly bodies 
would astonish you, especially when you consider that he 
has received no succour from Europe, and very little from 
books. He owes the whole to himself; he is, like the 
painter, Trumbull, the child of nature. Ten years of his 
life have been occupied in perfecting this Planetarium. He 
had opened a subscription to compensate his trouble; but 
the subscription was never full. 

This discouraged artist told me one day, that he was 
going to Europe to sell this machine, and to construct 
others. This country, said he, is too poor to encourage the 
arts. These words, this country is too poor, struck me. 
I reflected, that if they were pronounced in Europe, they 
might lead to wrong ideas of America ; for the idea of pov- 
erty carries that of rags, of hunger; and no country is 
more distant from that sad condition. When riches are 
centered in a few hands, these have a great superfluity; 
and this superfluity may be applied to their pleasures, and 
to favour the agreeable and frivolous arts. When riches 
are equally divided in society, there is very little super- 
fluity, and consequently little means of encouraging the 
agreeable arts. But which of these two countries is the 
rich, and which is the poor? According to the European 
ideas, and in the sense of Mr. Pope, it is the first that is 
rich; but to the eye of reason it is not; for the other is the 
happiest. Hence it results, that the ability of giving en- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 71 

couragement to the agreeable arts, is a symptom of na- 
tional calamity. 

Let us not blame the Bostoniaus; they think of the use- 
ful, before procuring to themselves the agreeable. They 
have no brilliant monuments ; but they have neat and com- 
modious churches, but they have good houses, but they have 
superb bridges, and excellent ships. Their streets are well 
illuminated at night; while many ancient cities of Europe, 
containing proud monuments of art, have never yet thought 
of preventing the fatal effects of nocturnal darkness. 

Besides the societies for the encouragement of agricul- 
ture and manufactures, they have another, known by the 
name of the Humane Society. Their object is to recover 
drowned persons. It is formed after a model of the one 
at London, as that is copied from the one at Paris. They 
follow the same methods as in Europe, and have rendered 
important succours. 

The Jledical Society is not less useful, than the one 
last mentioned. It holds a correspondence with all the 
country towns; to know the symptoms of local diseases, 
propose the proper remedies, and give instruction there- 
upon to their fellow-citizens. 

Another establishment is the alms-house. It is destined 
to the poor, who, by age and infirmity, are unable to gain 
their living. It contains at present about 150 persons. 

Another, called the work-house, or house of correction, 
is not so much peopled as you might imagine. In a rising 
country, in an active port, where provisions ai-e cheap, 
good morals predominate, and the number of thieves and 
vagabonds is small. These are vermin attaclied to misery; 
and there is no misery here. 

The state of exports and imports of this industrious 
people, to prove to you how many new branches of com- 
merce they have opened since the peace, I refer to the gen- 



72 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

eral table of the commerce of the United States, which I 
pi'opose to lay before you. 

An employment which is, unhappily, one of the most 
lucrative in this State, is the profession of the law. They 
preserve still the expensive forms of the English practice, 
which good sense, and the love of order, ought to teach 
them to suppress; they render advocates necessary; they 
have likewise borrowed from their fathers, the English, 
the habit of demanding exorbitant fees. But, notwith- 
standing the abuses of law proceedings, they complain 
very little of the lawyers. Those with whom I have been 
acquainted, appear to enjoy a great reputation for integ- 
rity; such as Sumner, Wendell, Lowell, Sullivan. 

They did themselves honour in the affair of the Tender 
Act, by endeavoring to prevent it from being enacted, and 
afterwards to diminish as much as possible its unjust 
effects. 

It is in part to their enlightened philanthropy, that is to 
be attributed the law of the 26tli of Marcli, 1788, which 
condemns to heavy ])eualties, all persons who shall import 
or export slaves, or be concerned in this infamous traffic. 

Finally, they have had a great part in the Revolution, 
by their writings, by their discourses, by taking the lead in 
the affairs of Congress, and in foreign negotiations. 

To recall this memorable period, is to bi-ing to mind one 
of the greatest ornaments of the American l)ar, the cele- 
brated Adams; who, from the humble station of a school- 
master, has raised himself to the first dignities; whose 
name is as much respected in Europe as in his own coun- 
try, for the difficult embassies with wliich he has been 
charged. He has, finally returned to his retreat, in the 
midst of the applause of his fellow-citizens, occupied in the 
cultivation of his farm, and foi'getting what he was when 
he trampled on the pride of his king, who had put a price 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 73 

upou lii.s head, aud who was forced to receive him as the 
auihassador of a free countrj'. Such were the generals aud 
ambassadors of the best ages of Rome and Greece; such 
were Epamiuoudas, Cincinnatus, and Fabius. 

It is not possible to see Mr. Adams, who knows so well 
the American constitutions, without speaking to him of 
that Avhich appears to he taking place in France. I don't 
know whether he has an ill opinion of our character, of our 
constancy, or of our understanding; but he does not be- 
lieve that we can establisli a liberty, even equal to what 
the English enjoy;* he does uot believe, even that we have 
the right, like the ancient States-General, to require that 
no tax should be Imposed without the consent of the people. 
I had no difficulty in combating him, even by authorities, 
independent of the social compact, against which no time, 
no concessions can prescribe. 

Mr. Adams is not the only man distinguished in this 
great revolution, who has retired to the obscure labours 
of a country life. General Heatli is one of those wortliy 
imitators of the Roman Cincinnatus; for he likes not the 
American Cincinnati: their eagle appears to him a gew- 
gaw, proper only for ciiildren. On showing me a letter 
from the immortal Washington, whom he loves as a father, 
and reveres as an angel — this letter, says he, is a jewel 
which, in my eyes, surpasses all the eagles and all tlie rib- 
bons in the world. It was a letter in wiiich that general 
had felicitated him for his good conduct on a certain oc- 
casion. With what joy did this respectable man shew me 
all parts of his farm! Wliat happiness he enjoys on it I 
He is a true farmer. A glass of cyder, which he presented 
to me Avith frankness and good humour painted on his 
countenance appeared to me superior to the most exquisite 
wines. With this simplicity, men are worthy of liberty, 
and they are sure of enjoying it for a long time. 



•The event has proved how much he was deceived. 



74 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

This simplicity characterises almost all the men of this 
State, who have acted distinguished parts in the revolu- 
tion : such, among others, as Samuel Adams, and Mr. Han- 
cock the present governor. If ever a man was sincerely an 
idolater of republicanism, it is Samuel Adams ; and never 
a man united more virtues to give respect to his opinions. 
He has the excess of republican virtues, untainted probity, 
simplicity, modesty,* and, above all, firmness : he Avill have 
no capitulation with abuses; he fears as much the despo- 
tism of virtue and talents, as the despotism of vice. 
Cherishing the greatest love and respect for Washington, 
he voted to take from him the command at the end of a 
certain term; he recollected, that Caesar could not have 
succeeded in overturning the republic, but by prolonging 
the command of the army. The event has proved that the 
application was false; but it was by a miracle, and the 
safety of a country should never be risked on the faith of 
a miracle. 

Samuel Adams is the best supporter of the party of 
Governor Hancock. You know the great sacrifices which 
the latter made in the revolution, and the boldness with 
which he declared himself at the beginning of the insur- 
rection. The same spirit of patriotism animates him still. 
A great generosity, united to a vast ambition, forms his 
character: he has the virtues and the address of popular- 
ism ; that is to say, that without effort he shows himself 
the equal, and the friend of all. I supped at his house with 
a hatter, who appeared to be in great familiarity with him. 
Mr. Hancock is amiable and polite, when he wishes to be ; 
but they say he does not always chuse it. He has a mar- 
velous gout, which dispenses him from all attentions, and 
forbids the access to his house. Mr. Hancock has not the 



•When I compare our legislators, with their airs of importance, always fearing they 
shall not make noise enough, that they shall not be sufficiently praised: when I com- 
pare them to these modest republicans, I fear for the success of the revolution. The 
vain man can never b« far from slavery. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 75 

learniug of his rival, Mr. Bowdoiu; lie seems even to dis- 
dain the scieuoes. The latter is more esteemed by enlight- 
ened men ; the former more beloved by the people. Among 
the partizans of the governor, I distinguished two brothers, 
by the name of Jarvis; one is comptroller-general of the 
State; the other a physician, and member of the legislature. 
The first has as much calmness of examination and pro- 
fundity of thought, as the latter has of rapidity in his 
penetration, agility in his ideas, and vivacity in his ex- 
pression. They resemble each other in one point, that is, 
in simplicity — the first of republican virtues; a virtue born 
with the Americans, and only acquired with us. If I were 
to paint to you all the estimable characters which I found 
in this charming town, my portraits would never be fin- 
ished. I found everywhere, that hospitality, that affabil- 
ity, that friendship for the French which M. Castellux 
has so much exalted. I found them especially with Messrs. 
Breck, Russel, Gore, Barrett, etc. 

Tiie parts adjacent to Boston, are charming and well 
cultivated, adorned with elegant houses and agreeable sit- 
uations. Among the surrounding eminences you distin- 
guish Bunker Hill. This name will recall to your mind the 
famous Warren ; one of the first martyrs of American lib- 
erty. I owed an homage to his generous manes ; and I was 
eager to pay it. You arrive at Bunker Hill by the superb 
bridge at Charleston, of which I have spoken. This town 
was entirely burnt by the English, in their attack of 
Bunker Hill. It is at present rebuilt with elegant houses 
of wood. You see here the store of Mr. Gorham, fonuerly 
president of Congress. This hill offers one of the most as- 
tonishing monuments of American valor; it is impossible 
to conceive how seven or eight hundred men, badly armed, 
and fatigued, having just constructed, in haste, a few mis- 
erable entrenchments, and who knew nothing, or very lit- 



76 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

tie, of the use of arms, could resist, for so long a time, the 
attack of thousands of the Englisli troops, fresh, well dis- 
ciplined, succeeding each other in the attack. But such 
was the vigorous resistance of the Americans, that the 
English lost 1,200 men, killed and wounded, before they 
became master of the place. Observe that they had two 
frigates, which, crossing their fire on Charleston, pre- 
vented the arrival of succour to the Americans. Yet it is 
very probal)le that the English would liave been forced to 
retire, had not the Americans failed in ammunition. 

While the friend of liberty is contemplating this scene, 
and dropping a tear to the memory of Waren, his emo- 
tions of enthusiasm are renewed on \iewing the expressive 
picture of the death of that Avarrior, painted by Mr. Trum- 
l)ull, whose talents may equal, one day, those of the most 
famous masters. 

I must finish this long, and too long, letter. Many ob- 
jects remain still to entertain you with in this State, such 
as the constitution, debts, taxes; but I refer them to the 
general table which I shall make of them for the United 
States. The taxable heads of this State are upwards of 
100,000, acres of arable land 200,000, pasturage 340,000, 
uncultivated 2,000,000, tons of shipping at Boston 60,000. 

LETTER III. 
JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK BY LAND. 

August 9, 1788. 
The distance of these towns is about two hundred and 
fiftv miles, ilany persons have united in establishing a 
kind of diligence, or public stage, which passes regularly 
for tlie convenience of travellers. In the summer season, 
the journey is performed in four days. 

We set out from Boston at four o'clock in the morning, 
and passed through the handsome town of Cambridge. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 77 

The country appears well cultivated as far as Weston, 
where we breakfasted; thence ^^•e passed t(i Worcester to 
dinner, fortj'-eight miles from Boston. This town is ele- 
gant, and well peopled: the printer, Isaiah Thomas, has 
rendered it famous through all the continent. He prints 
most of the works which appear; and it must l)e granted 
that his editions are correct. Thomas is the Didot of the 
United States. The tavern, where we had a good Ameri- 
can dinner,* is a charming house of wood, well orna- 
mented ; it is kept by Mr. Pease, one of the proprietors of 
the Boston stage. He has much merit for his activity and 
industry ; but it is to be hoped he will change the present 
plan, so far as it respects his horses : they ai'e over-done 
with the length and difficulty of the courses, which ruins 
them in a short time, besides retarding very much the pro- 
gress. 

We slept the first night at Spencer, a new village in 
the midst of the woods. The house of the tavern was but 
half built; but the part that was finished, had an air of 
cleanliness which pleases, because it announces that de- 
gree of competence, those moral and delicate habits, which 
are never seen in our villages. The chambers were neat, 
the beds good, the sheets clean, supper passable; cyder, tea, 
punch, and all for fourteen pence a head. There were four 
of us. Now, compare, my friend, this order of things with 
what you have a thousand times seen in our Fl'ench tav- 
erns — chambers dirty and hideous, beds infected with bugs, 
those insects which Sterne calls the rightful inhabitants 
of taverns, if indeed long possession gives a right; sheets 
ill-washed, and exhaling a fedit odour; bad covering, wine 
adulterated, and every thing at its weigl.t in gold; greedy 
servants, who are complaisant only in proportion to your 



•If I sometimes cite dinners and suppers. It Is not in memory of eating and drinking, 
but it Is to show Itie manner of living of the -country, and iUiewise to speak of the prices 
of provisions, so much exaggerated by ChastelKut. 



78 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

equipage ; grovelling towards a rich traveller, and insolent 
towards him whom they suspect of mediocrity. Such are 
the eternal torments of travellers in France: add to this, 
the fear of being robbed, the precautions necessary to be 
takeu everj^ night to prevent it ; while, in the United States, 
you travel without fear, as without arms,* and you sleep 
quietly among the woods, in an open chamber of a house 
whose doors shut without locks. And now judge wliich 
country merits the name of civilized, and which bears the 
aspect of the greatest general happiness. 

We left Spencer at four o'clock in the morning. New 
carriage, new proprietor. It was a carriage without 
springs, a kind of wagon. A Frenchman, who was with 
me, begau, at the first jolt, to curse the carriage, the 
driver, and the country. Let us wait, said I, a little, be- 
fore we form a judgment: every custom has its cause; 
there is doubtless some reason why this kind of carriage is 
preferred to one hung with springs. In fact, by the time 
we had run thirty miles among the rocks, we were con- 
vinced that a carriage with springs would very soon have 
been overset and broke. 

The traveller is well recompensed for the the fatigue of 
this route, by the variety of romantic situations, by the 
be.auty of the prospects which it offers at each step, by the 
perpetual contrast of savage nature and the efforts of art. 
Those vast ponds of water, which lose themselves in the 
woods; those rivulets, that wash the meadows, newly 
snatched from uncultivated nature; those neat houses, 
scattered among the forests, and containing swarms of 
children, joyous and healthy, and well clad; those fields, 
covered with trunks of trees, whose destruction is com- 
mitted to the hand of time, and which are covered under 



•I traveled with a Frenchman, who, thinking he had much to fear in a savage coun- 
try, had furnished himself with pistnis. The good American smiied at his precautions, 
and advised him to put his pistols in his trunk; he had wit enough to believe him. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 79 

the leaves of Indian corn ; those oaks, which preserve still 
the image of their ancient vigor, but which, girdled at the 
bottom, raise no longer to heaven but dry and naked 
branches, which the first stroke of wind must bring to the 
earth — all these objects, so new to the European, arrest 
him, absorb him, and plunge him into an agreeable reverie. 
The depths of the forests, the prodigious size and height 
of the trees, call to his mind the time when the savages 
were the only inhabitants of this country. This ancient 
tree has beheld them; they filled these forests: they have 
now given place to anotlier generation. The cultivator 
fears no more their vengeance; his musket, formerly his 
necessary companion at the plough, now rests suspended 
in his house. Alone, with his wife and children, in the 
midst of the forests, he sleeps quietly, he labours in peace, 
and he is happy. Such were the ideas which occupied me 
the gi'eater part of my journey : they sometimes gave place 
to others, arising from the view of the country houses, 
which are seen at small distances through all the forests 
of Massachucetts. Neatness embellishes them all. They 
have frequently but one story and a garret ; their walls ai'e 
papered ; tea and coffee appear on their tables ; their daugh- 
ters, clothed in callicoes, display the traits of civility, 
frankness, and decency, virtues which always follow con- 
tentment and ease. Almost all these houses are inhabited 
by men who are both cultivators and artizans; one is a 
tanner, another a shoemaker, another sells goods; but all 
are farmers. The country stores are well assoi'ted ; you 
find in the same shop, hats, nails, liquors. This order of 
things is necessary in a new settlement : it is to be hoped 
that it will continue; for this general retail occupies less 
hands, and detaches fewer from the great object of agricul- 
ture. It is not supposed that one-third of the land of 
Massachusetts is under cultivation : it is difficult to say 



80 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

when it will all be so, considering the invitations of the 
western country and the province of Elaine. But the un- 
cleared lands are all located, and the proprietors have in- 
closed them with fences of different sorts. These several 
kinds of fences are composed of different materials, which 
announce the different degrees of cultuie in the country. 
Some are composed of the light branches of trees ; others, 
of the trunks of trees laid one upon the other; a third sort 
is made of long pieces of wood, supporting each other by 
making angles at the end; a fourth kind is made of long 
pieces of hewn timber, supported at the ends by passing 
into holes made in an upright post; a fifth is like the 
garden fences in England ; the last kind is made of stones 
thrown together to the height of three feet. This last is 
most durable, and is common in Massachusetts. From 
Spencer to Brookfield is fifteen miles. The road is good as 
far as this last town. A town you know in the interior of 
America designates an extent of eight or ten miles, where 
are scattered a hundred or two hundred houses. This di- 
vision into towns, is necessary for assonbliug the inhabit- 
ants for elections and other purjioses. Without this di- 
vision the inhabitants might go sometimes to one assembly, 
and sometimes to another, which would lead to confusion. 
Besides, it would render it impossible to know the popula- 
tion of any particular canton ; this serves for the basis of 
many regulations. No people carry their attention in this 
particular, so far as the Americans. 

The situation of Brookfield is picturesque. While 
breakfast was preparing, 1 read the gazettes and journals, 
which are distributed through all the cotmtry. Our break- 
fast consisted of coffee, tea, boiled and roasted meat; the 
whole for ten pence. New England currency, for each 
traveller. From this place to Wilbraham the road is cov- 
ered with rocks, and bordered with woods. At this place, a 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 81 

new proprietor, and a new carriage. A small light car- 
riage, well suspended, and drawn by two horses, took place 
of our heavy wagon. We could not concieve how five of us 
could sit in this little parisian chariot, and demanded an- 
other. The conductor said he had no other; that there 
were so few travellers in this part of the road, that he 
could not afford to run with more than two horses; that 
most of the travellers from New York stopped in Connecti- 
cut, and most of those from Boston at Worcester. We 
were obliged to submit. We started like lightning; and 
arrived in an hour and a quarter, at Springfield, ten miles. 
This road appeared really enchanting ; I seemed the whole 
way to be travelling in one of the alleys of the palais-royal. 
This man was one of the most lively and industrious, at 
the same time the most patient, I ever met with. In my 
two journeys through this place, I have heard many trav- 
ellers treat him with very harsh language ; he either 
answers not at all or answers by giving good reasons. Tlie 
greater part of the men of this profession, in this coun- 
try, observe the same conduct in such cases; while the least 
of these injuries in Europe would have occasioned bloody 
quarrels. This fact proves to me, that, in a free country, 
reason extends her empire over all classes of men. 

Springfield, where we dined, resembles an European 
town ; that is, the houses are placed near together. On a 
hill that overlooks this towu, is a magazine of ammunition 
and arms belonging to the State of Massachusetts. This 
is the magazine that the rebel Shays endeavored to take, 
and was .so Imppily defended by (.Jeueral Shepard. We 
set out from Springfield, after dinner, for Hartford. We 
passed in a ferry-boat, the river that washes the environs 
of Springfield. 

I have passed twice through Hartford, and both times 
in the night, so that I cannot give an exact description 



82 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

of it. It is a considerable rural town; the greater part of 
the inhabitants live by agi'iculture, so that ease and abund- 
ance universally reign in it. It is considered as one of 
the most agreeable in Connecticut, on account of its 
society. It is the residence of one of the most respectable 
men in the United States, Colonel Wadsworth. He enjoys 
a considerable fortune, which he owes entirely to his own 
labor and industry. Perfectly versed in agriculture and 
commerce ; universally known for the service he rendered 
to the American and Fi'ench armies during the war; gen- 
erally esteemed and beloved for his gieat virtues; he 
crowns all his qualities by an amiable and singular mod- 
esty. His address is frank, his countenance open, and 
his discourse simple. Thus you cannot fail to love him as 
soon as you see him, especially as soon as you know him. 
I here describe the impression he made on me. 

M. de Chastellux, in making the eulogium of this re- 
spectable American, has fallen into an error which I ought 
to rectify. He says, that he has made many voyages to 
the coast of Guinea. It is incredible that this writer 
should persist in printing this as a fact, after Colonel 
Wadsworth begged him to suppress it. "To advance," 
said he, "that I have carried on the Guinea trade, is to 
give the idea that I have carried on the slave trade; 
whereas, I always had the greatest abhorance for this in- 
famous traffic. I prayed M. de Chastellux, that in the 
edition he was about to jjublish in France, he would sup- 
press this, as well as many other sticking errors Avliich 
appeared in the American edition of his work ; and I can- 
not conceive why he has rectified nothing." 

The environs of Hartford display a charming culti- 
vated country, neat, elegant houses, vast meadows cov- 
ered with herds of cattle of an enormous size, which fur- 
nish the market of New York, and even Pliiladelphia. You 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 83 

see sheep resembling ours, but not like ours, watched by 
shepherds, and tormented by dogs; hogs of a prodigious 
size, surrounded with numerous families of pigs, wearing 
on the neck a triangular piece of wood, invented to hinder 
them from passing the barriers which inclose the culti- 
vated fields; geese and turkeys in abundance, as well as 
potatoes and all other vegetables. Productions of every 
kind are excellent and clieap; the fruits, however, do not 
partake of this excellent quality, because they are less 
attended to. Apples serve for making cyder, and great 
quantities of them are likewise exported. 

To describe the neighborhood of Elai'tford is to de- 
scribe Connecticut; it is to describe the neighborhood of 
Middleton, of Newhaven, etc. Nature and art have here dis- 
played all their treasures; it is really the paradise of the 
United States. M. de Crevecoeur, who has been so much 
reproached with exaggeration, is even below the truth in 
his description of this part of the country. Read again 
his charming picture, and this reading will supply the 
place of what it would be useless here to repeat. 

This State owes all its advantages to its situation. It 
is a fertile plain, inclosed between two mountains, which 
render difficult its communications by land with the other 
States. It is washed by the superb river Connecticut, 
which falls into the sea, and furnishes a safe and easy 
navigation. Agriculture being the basis of the riches of 
this State, they are here more equally divided. There is 
here more equality, less misery, more simplicity, more 
virtue, more of everything which constitutes i-epublican- 
ism. 

Connecticut appears like one continued town. On 
quitting Hartford, you enter Wethersfield, a town not 
less elegant, very long, consisting of houses well built. 
They tell me it gave birth to the famous Silas Deaue, one 



84 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

of the first promoters of the American revolution; from 
a schoolmaster in this tox^u, elevated to the rank of an 
Envoy fi"om Congress to Eui'ope ; he has since been accused 
of betraying this glorious cause. Is the accusation true 
or false? It is difficult to decide. But he has been for 
a long time miserable in London, and it is in favor of the 
goodness of heart of the Americans, to recount, that his 
best friends and benefactors are still among the ancient 
American Whigs. 

Wethersfield is remarkable for its vast fields uniformly 
covei'ed with onions, of which great quantities are ex- 
ported to the West Indies. It is likewise remarkable for 
its elegant meeting-house or church. On Sunday, it is 
said to offer an enchanting spectacle, by the number of 
young, handsome persons who assemble there, and by the 
agreeable miisic with which they intermingle the divine 
service. 

Newhaven yields not to Wethersfield for the beauty 
of the fair sex. At their balls during the winter, it is not 
rare to see an hundred charming girls, adorned with those 
brilliant complexions seldom met with in journeying to 
the South, and dressed in elegant simplicity. The beauty 
of complexion is as striking in Connecticut, as its numer- 
ous population. You will not go into a tavern without 
meeting with neatness, decency and dignity. The tables 
are served by a young girl, decent and pretty, by an ami- 
able mother, whose age has not effaced the agreeableness 
of her features; by men who have that air of dignity 
which the idea of equality inspires, and who are not 
ignoble and base, like the greatest part of our tavei'u keep- 
ers. On the road you often meet those fair Connecticut 
girls, either driving a carriage, or alone on horseback, gal- 
loping boldly; Avith an elegant hat on the head, a white 
apron, and a calico gown — usages which prove at once 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 85 

the early cultivation of their reason, since tliey are trusted 
so young to themselves, the safety of the road, and the 
general innocence of manners. You will see them 
hazarding themselves alone, without protectors, in the 
public stages — I am wrong to say hazarding; who can 
offend them? They are here under the protection of pub- 
lic morals, and of their own innocence ; it is the conscious- 
ness of this innocence, wliich renders them so complaisant, 
and so good ; for a stranger takes them by the lumd, and 
laughs with them, and they are not offended at it. 

Other proofs of the pi'osperity of Connecticut are the 
number of new houses everywhere to be seen, and the 
number of rural manufactories arising on every side, of 
which I shall speak hereafter. But even in this state 
there are many lands to sell. A principal cause of this 
is the taste for emigration to the western country. The 
desire of finding better, embitters the enjoyments even of 
the inhabitants of Connecticut. Perhaps this taste 
arises from the liope of escaping taxes, which, though 
small, and almost nothing in comparison with those of 
Europe, appear very heavy. In a couutry like tlie United 
Stiites, everything favors the forming of new settlements. 
The new comers are sure, everywhere, of finding friends 
and brothers, who speak their own language, and admire, 
their courage. Provisions are cheap the whole wa.v ; they 
have nothing to fear from the search of custom-house 
clerks, on entering from one province to another, nor river 
tolls, nor imposts, nor vexations; man is free as the air 
he breiithes. The taste for emigration is every day aug- 
menting, by the accounts in the public papers of the ar- 
rival of different families. Man is like sheep everj-vxhere : 
he says, Such an one has succeeded, why shall not I suc- 
ceed? I am nothing here, I shall be something on the 
Ohio; I work hard here, I shall not work so hard there. 



86 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Before arriviug at Middleton, where we were to break- 
fast, we stopped on the hill which overlooks that town and 
the immense valley in which it is built. It is one of the 
finest and richest prospects that I have seen in America. 
I could not satiate myself with the variety of the scenes 
which this landscape laid before me. 

Middetown is built like Hartford: broad streets, trees 
on the sides, and handsome houses. We changed horses 
and carriages at Durham ; and after admiring a number of 
picturesque situations on the road, we arrived at New- 
haven, where we dined. The university here enjoys a 
great reputation through the continent; the port is much 
frequented ; the society is said to be very agreeable. New- 
haven has produced the celebrated poet, Trumbull*, author 
of the immortal poem M'Fingal, which riA^als, if not sur- 
passes, in keen pleasantry, the famous Hudibras. Colonel 
Humphreys*, whose poem, much esteemed in America, is 
translated by M. de Chastelhix, is likewise a native of this 
town. The university is presided over by a respectable and 
learned man, Mr. Stiles. We were obliged to quit this 
charming town, to arrive in the evening at Fairfield. We 
passed the inconvenient ferry at Stratford ; afterwards as- 
sailed by a violent storm, w^e were well enough defended 
from it by a double curtain of leather which covered the 
carriage. The driver, though piei'ced through with rain, 
continued his route through the obscurity of a very dark 
night. Heaven preserved us frdm accident, at which I was 
much astonished. We passed the night at Fairfield, a 
town unhappily celebrated in the last war. It experienced 
all the rage of the English, who burnt it. You perceive 
still the vestiges of this infernal fury. Most of the houses 
are rebuilt ; but those who have seen this town before the 
war, regret its ancient state, and the air of ease, and even 

*M. de Warville is here misinformed. Mr. Trumbull Is a native of Water- 
bury, and Mr. Humplireys of Derby. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 87 

opulence, that then distinguished it. They showed me the 
house of the richest inhabitant, where all travelers of dis- 
tinction met an hospitable reception ; and where was often 
feasted the infamous Tryon, who commanded this expedi- 
tion of cannibals. Forgetting all sentiments of gratitude 
and humanity, he treated with the last extremity of rigour 
the mistress of this house, who had received him a.s a 
friend ; and after having given her his word for the safety 
of her house, he ordered it to be set on fire. At Fairfield 
finished the agreeable part of our journey. From this town 
to Rye, thirty-three miles, we had to struggle against rocks 
and precipices. I knew not which to admire most in the 
driver, his intrepidity or dexterity. I cannot conceive how 
he avoided twenty times dashing the carriage in pieces, 
and how his horses could retain themselves in descending 
the staircases of rocks. One of these is called Horseneck ; 
a chain of rocks so steep, that if a horse should slip, the 
carriage must be thrown into a valley two or three hun- 
dred feet. 

From Horseneck we passed to New Rochelle, a colony 
founded the last century by some French emigrants, which 
appears not to have prospered. Perhaps this appearance 
results from the last war; for this place suffered much 
from the neighbourhood of the English, whose head-quar- 
ters were at New York. This place, however, will always 
be celebrated for having given birth to one of the most dis- 
tinguished men of the last revolution — a republican re- 
remarkable for his firmness and his coolness, a writer em- 
inent for his nervous style, and his close logic, Mr. Jay, at 
present minister of foreign affairs. 

The following anecdote will give an idea of the firm- 
ness of this republican: at the time of laying the founda- 
tion of the peace in 1783, M. de Vergennes, actuated by 
secret motives, wished to engage the ambassadors of Con- 



88 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

gress to confine their demands to the fisheries, and to 
renounce the western territory; that is, the vast and fertile 
country beyond the Alleganey mountains. This Minister 
required particularly, that the independence of America 
should not be considered as the basis of the peace; but, 
simply, that it should be conditional. To succeed in this 
project, it was necessary to gain over Jay and Adams. 
Mr. Jay declared to M. de Vergennes, that he would sooner 
lose his life than sign such a ti*eaty; that the Americans 
fought for independence; that they would never lay down 
their arms, till it should be fully consecrated; that the 
Court of France had recognized it, and that there would 
be a contradiction in her conduct, if she should deviate 
from that point. It was not difficult for Mr. Jay to bring 
Mr. Adams to this determination ; and M. de Vergennes 
could never shake his firmness*. Consider here the strange 
concurrence of events. The American, who forced the 
Court of France, and gave laws to the English minister, 
was the grandson of a French refugee of the last century 
who fled to New Rochelle- Thus the decendant of a man, 
whom Louis XIV. had persecuted with a foolish rage, im- 
posed his decisions on the descendant of that sovereign, 
in his own palace, a hundred years after the banishment 
of the ancestor. 

Mr. Jay was equally immovable by all efforts of the 
English minister, whofm M. de Vergennes had gained to his 
party. He proved to him, that it was the interest of the 
English themselves, that the Americans should be inde- 
pendent, and not in a situation which should render them 
dependent on their ally. He converted him to this senti- 
ment ; for his reasoning determined the court of St. James'. 



•The talents of Mr. Jay shone with distinguished lustre in the convention 
of the State of New Yorlt for examining the new Federal Constitution. Mr. Clin- 
ton, the Governor, at the head of the Anti-federalists, had at first a great 
majority ; but he could not resist the logic of Mr. Jay, and the eloquence of 
Mr. Hamilton. 



UNITED STATES OF AIMEKICA 89 

Wlieu Mr. Jay passed tbrougli Euglaud to return to Amer- 
ica, Lord Shelbourne desired to see him. Accused by the 
nation of having granted too much to the Americans, lie 
desired to know, in case he had persisted not to accord to 
the Americans the western territor}^, if they would have 
continued the war? Mr. Jay answered, that he believed 
it, and that he should have advised it. 

It is thirty-one miles from Rye to New York. The road 
is good, even, and gravelly. We stopped at one of the best 
taverns I have seen in America. It is kept by Mrs. Hav- 
iland. We had an excellent dinner, and cheap. To other 
circumstances very agreeable, which gave us good cheer 
at this house, the air of the mistress was infinitely grace- 
ful and obliging; and she had a charming daughter, gen- 
teel and well educated, who played very well the forte- 
piano. Before arriving at New York, we passed by those 
places which the English had so well fortified \\hile they 
were masters of them. You still see their different re- 
doubts and fortifications, which attCvSt to the eye of the 
observer the folly of this fratricidious war. 

LETTER IV. 

JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK, BY PROVIDENCE* 

On the 12th of October, we set out from Boston at half 
past seven in the morning, and arrived by six in the evening 
at Pro^'idence. It is forty-nine miles; the road good, the 
soil stoney, gravelly and sandy, and, as usual for such a 
soil, covered with pines. The county bordering the road, 
appears neither fertile, nor well peopled : you may here 
see houses in decay, and children covered with rags. They 
had, however, good health, and good complexions. The 
silence which reigns in the other American towns on Sun- 



•Though this journey was made after the date of several of the succeeding 
letters. It was thought best to insert it here, as an appendage to the other 
journey hy land. 



90 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

day, reigns at Providence even on Monday. Everytliing 
here announces the decline of business. Few vessels are to 
be seen in the port. They were building, however, two dis- 
tilleries; as if the manufactories of this poison were not 
already sufficiently numerous in the United States. 
Whether it be from prejudice or reality, I seemed to per- 
ceive everywhere the silence of death, the effect of paper 
money. I seemed to see, in every face, the air of a Jew; 
the result of a traffic founded on fraud and finesse. I 
seemed to see, likewise, in every countenance, the effects 
of the contempt which the other States bear to this, and 
the consciousness or meriting that contempt. The paper- 
money at this time was at a discount of ten for one. 

I went from Providence to Newport in a packet-boat. 
This journey might be made by land; but I preferred the 
water. We arrived in seven hours and a half ; and during 
two hours we had contrary -wind. This distance is thirty 
miles. We never lost sight of land; but it offers nothing 
picturesque or curious. A few houses, some trees, and a 
sandy soil, are all that appears to the eye. 

The port of Newport is considered as one of the best in 
the United States. The bottom is good, the harbour ca- 
pable of receiving the largest ships, and seems destined by 
nature to be of great consequence. This place was one of 
the principal scenes of the last war. The successive ar- 
rival of the American, English, and French armies, left 
here a considerable quantity of money.* 

Since the peace, every thing is changedf. The reign of 
solitude is only interrupted by groups of idle men, stand- 
ing with folded arms at the corners of the streets ; houses 
falling to ruin ; miserable shops -which present nothing but 
a few coarse stuffs, or baskets of apples, and other articles 



•The English destroyed all the fine trees of ornament and fruit: they took 
ft pleasure in devastation, 

tThls town owed a part of its prosperity to the slave trade, which is at present 
suppressed. 



( 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 91 

of little value; grass growing iu the public square, in front 
of the court of justice; rags stuffed in the windows, or 
himg upon hideous women and lean, unquiet children. 

Evei-ything announces misery, the triumpli of ill faith, 
and the influence of a bad government. You will have a 
perfect idea of it, by calling to mind the impression once 
made upon us on entering the city of Liege. Recollect the 
crowd of mendicants besieging us at every step, to implore 
charity; that irregular mass of Gothic houses falling to 
ruin, windows without glass, roofs half uncovered ; recall 
to your mind the figures of men scarcely bearing the print 
of humanity, children in tatters, and houses hung with 
rags; in short, repi'esent to yourself the asylum of famine, 
the rascallity and the impudence that general misery in- 
spires, and you will recollect Liege, and have an image of 
Newport. 

These two places are nevertheless well situated for 
commerce, and surrounded by lands by no means unfruit- 
ful; but at Liege, the productions of the country serve 
to fatten about fifty idle ecclesiastics, who, by the aid of 
ancient religious prejudices, riot in pleasure, in the midst 
of thousands of unhappy wretches who are dying with hun- 
ger.* At Newport, the people, deceived by two or three 
knaves, have brought on their own misery, and destroyed 
the blessings which Nature had lavished upon them. They 
have themselves sanctified fraud; and this act has ren- 
dered them odious to their neighbours, driven commerce 
from their doors, and labour from their fields. 

Read again, my friend, the charming description given 
of this town and this State, by M. de Crevecoeur. It is not 
exaggerated. Every American whom I have questioned 
on this subject, has described to me its ancient splendor. 



•When I wrote tlicse lines. I was far from foreseeing tlie revolutions of 
Uece. Liberty displays her banners there. God grant that she may triumph, 
and acbiere her work. 



92 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and its uatural advantages, whether for commerce, agri- 
culture, or the enjoyments of life. 

The State of Rhode Island will never again see those 
happy days, till they take from circulation their paper- 
money, and reform their government. The magistrates 
should be less dependent on the people than they are at 
present, and the members of the legislature should not be 
so often elected. It is inconceivable that so many honest 
people should gToan under the present anarchy; that so 
many Quakers, who compose the basis of the population 
of this State, should not combine together to introduce 
this reform* If this reform is not speedily executed, I 
doubt not but the State will be unpeopled. A great part 
of the emigration for the settlement at Muskingum on the 
Ohio, is from this State. General Varnum is at their head. 
A number of families are preparing to join them. Neai'ly 
all the honest people of Newport would quit the place, if 
they could sell their effects. I doubt not, likewise, but the 
example of Rhode Island will be a proof, in the eyes of 
many people, that republican government is disastrous. 
This would be a wrong conclusion — this example only 
proves, that there should not be a too frequent rotation in 
the legislative power, and that there ought to be stability 
in the executive; that there is as much danger in placing 
the magistrates in a state of too great dependence on the 
people, as there is in making them too independent. It 
argues, in fact, against a pure democracy, but not against 
a representative democracy; for a representation of six 
months is but a government by the people themselves. 
Representation, in this case, is but a shadow, which passes 
too suddenly to be perceived, or to feel its own existence. 
Of consequence, this example proves nothing against the 
wise system of representation, more durable, more inde- 

•The author is happy to find that before the publication of this letter this state 
had acceded to the new government. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 93 

pendeut, and which coustitutes the true republican govern- 
ment, such as that of the other United States. But in the 
midst of these disorders, you hear nothing of robberies, of 
murders, or of mendicity ; for the American poor does not 
degrade himself so far as to abjure all ideas of equity, and 
all shame. And this is a trait which still marks a differ- 
ence between Newport and Liege ; the Rhode Islander does 
not beg, and he does not steal — the ancient American 
blood still runs in his veins. 

I was detained at Newport by the southwest winds, till 
the 13th, when we set sail at midnight; the Captain not 
wishing to sail sooner, for fear of touching before day on 
Block-Island. The wind and tide carried us at the i-ate 
of nine or ten imiles an hour ; and we should have arrived 
at New Yoi'k the next evening, but we were detained at 
Hell-Gate, a kind of gulph, eight miles from New York. 
This is a narrow passage, formed by the approach of Long 
Island to York Island, and rendered horrible by rocks, 
concealed at high water. The whirlpool of this gulp is lit- 
tle perceived at low water; but it is not surprising that 
vessels which know it not, should be dashed in pieces. They 
speak of an English frigate lost there in the last war. 
This Hell-Gate is an obstacle to the navigation of this 
strait; but it is not rare in summer to run from Newport 
tq New York, two hundi'ed miles, in twenty hours. As you 
approach this city, tlie coasts or these two islands pre- 
sent the most agreeable spectacle. They are adorned with 
elegant country-houses. Long Island is celebrated for its 
high state of cultivation. The price of passage and your 
table from Providence to New York is six dollars. 

I ought to say one word of the packet-boats of this part 
of America, and of the facilities which they offer. Though, 
in my opinion, it is more advantageous, and often less 
expensive, to go by land ; yet I owe some praises to the 



94 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

cleanliness and good order observable in these boats. The 
one which I was in contained fourteen beds, ranged in two 
rows, one above the other ; every one had its little window. 
The chamber was well aired; so that you do not breathe 
that nauseous air which infects the packets of the English 
channel. It was well varnished; and two close corners 
were made in the poop, which serve as private places. The 
provisions were good. There is not a little town on all this 
coast, but what has this kind of packets going to New 
York ; such as, Newhaven, New London, etc. They have 
all the same neatness, the same embellishment, the same 
convenience for travellers. You may be assured, that there 
is nothing like it on the old continent. 

LETTER V 
ON NEW YORK 

August, 1788. 

I have read again, my dear friend, the description given 
by Mr. CreVecoeur, of this part of the United States; and 
after having compared all the articles of it with what I 
have seen, I must declare, that all the traits of his pic- 
ture are just. 

Nothing is more magnificent than the situation of this 
town — between two majestic rivers, the north and the east. 
The former separates it from New Jersey; it is so pro- 
found, that ships of the line anchor in it. I have at this 
moment under my eyes, a French ship of 1200 tons, des- 
tined to the East India trade, which has come into it to 
refit. Two inconveniences are, however, experienced in 
this river; the descent of ice in the winter, and the force 
of the northwest wind. Ships mount this commodious 
river as far as Albany, a town situated an hundred and 
seventy miles from New York. 

Albany will yield very soon, in prosperity, to a town 
called Hudson, huUt on a spot where, four years ago, there 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 95 

was ouly a simple farm-house. At present, it coutaius an 
bundreil good dwelliug-liouses, a court-house, public foun- 
tains, etc. More tlian fifty sliips are owned there, which 
export the American productions to the Islands and to 
Europe. Two whaling ships are of the number. Their 
vessels do not winter idly, like those of Albany, in the port. 
They trade in the West Indies during this season. Pough- 
keepsie, on the same river, has doubled its population and 
its commerce since the war. The inattention of the people 
of Albany to foreign comimerce, may be attributed to the 
fertility of their lands. Agriculture abounds there, and 
they like not to hazard themselves to the dangers of the 
sea, for a fortune which they can draw from the bounty of 
the soil which surrounds them. The fertility of the un- 
cultivated lauds, and tlie advantages which they offer, 
attract settlers to tins quarter. New settlements are form- 
ing here; but .slowly, because other states furnish lands, 
if not as fertile, at least attended with more advantages 
for agriculture, as they are less exposed to the excessive 
rigours of so long a wintei*. 

When this part of America shall be well peopled, the 
north river will offer one of the finest channels for the 
exportation of its productions. Navigable for more than 
two hundred miles from the ocean, it coonmunicates with 
the river Mohawk, with the lakes Oneida, Ontario, Erie, 
and all that part of Canada. The falls which are found 
in tliis route may be easily vanquished by canals, so easy 
to construct in a counti'y abounding with men and money. 
This river communicates with Canada in another quarter, 
by the lakes George and Charaplaine. It is this situation 
which will render New York the channel of the fur-trades, 
at least during tlie existence of this kind of commerce, 
which supposes the existence of savages, and great quanti- 
ties of uncultivated lands. 



m 






- ' - nrin. "viu 

'aiiK' or "nie 3111^ ~^^?^ 31 i fit snsrs if "ait 













UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 97 

to tine women, bj destrojing the puritv of the breath. The 
philosopher condeoinj? it, as it is a superfluous want. 

It hai5, however, one advantage; it accustoms to medi- 
tation, and prevents loc" '■ The smoker asks a ques- 
tion; the answer comes j.utfrs after, and it is well 
foundei The cigar renders to a man the service that the 
jdiilosopher drew from the glass of wattr, whic;. ak 
when ■ - ■ ■- anger. 

1 _ jimerce of this city, and the facilitv of 

_' here, augments the population of the State with 
4-r^: rapidity. In 1773, they reckoned liS,124: whites; 
;:. 17^6, the number was 2I9,&&6. 

1^ zh^Tf is a town on the American continent where the 
} . ;-y displays its follies, it is Xew York. You 

r" - - ' <** of the 

- ._;_. ,. . - _ :_ 1. ..^._^^; -..^-. „^azfcs, hats, 

and borrowe. Equipages are rare : but they are ele- 

gant. Tl _ ^ave more simp; - their dr^; they 

disdain ge"'ira~- : ■ *' -y take ti-eir- revenge in the luxury 
of the table- 
Luxury f -ady. in this town, a cla^ of men very 
dango^us in i!0<;iety — I me> lors. The eipence of 

T- - .- . - principal 

panie: of pleasure. Fruits, though more attiended to in 

1Mb State, are far f: . beauty and good- 

aesB of those of Y.nt /, . i „^. . ; ;:^ n^f^. in September, 
loaded at once with aj^ples and «ith flowers. 

iL de Crerecoeur is right in his des^:Tiption of the 
abondan ' ' oji at ^' "" -k. 

IB Teg^iL ^ -h. It - jIi 

to unite - antag^ in one place. Provisions are 

deara* at »» York any other of the northern or 

middle States. Ma:: . .,-•.- -v,... -* -,-,~y 



98 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

are clearer here than in France. A hair-dresser asks twenty 
shillings per month; washing costs four shillings for a 
dozen pieces. 

Strangers, who, having lived a long time in America, 
tax the Americans with cheating, have declared to me, that 
this accusation must be confined to the towns, and that in 
the country you will find tliem honest. The French are 
the most forward in maliing these complaints ; and they be- 
lieve that the Americans are more trickish with them than 
with the English. If this were a fact, I should not be 
astonished at it. The French, whom I have seen, are eter- 
nally crying up the services which their nation has ren- 
dered to the Americans, and opposing their manners and 
customs, decrying their government, exalting the favours 
rendered by the French government towards the Ameri- 
cans, and diminishing these of Congress to the French. 

One of the greatest errors of travellers is to calculate 
prices of provisions in a country, by the prices in taverns 
and boarding-houses. It is a false basis; we should take, 
for the town, the price at the market, and this is about 
half the price that one pays at the tavern. This basis 
would still be false, if it were applied to the country. 
There are many articles which are abundant in the coun- 
try, and are scarcely worth the trouble of collecting and 
bringing to market. These reflection.s appear to me neces- 
sary to put one on his guard against believing too readily 
in the prices estimated by hasty travellers. Other cir- 
cumstances likewise influence the price ; such, for example, 
as war, which Mr. Chastellux takes no notice of in his ex- 
aggerated account of American prices. 

These prices were about double in New York during the 
war, to what they are now. Boarding and lodging by the 
week, is from four to six dollars. The fees of lawyers are 
out of all proportion; they are, as in England, excessive. 



UNITED STATES OF AilERICA 99 

Physioiaus have not the same advantage iu this respect as 
hiwyers; the good health geuerally enjoj'ed here, renders 
them little necessary ; yet they are sufficiently numerous. 

I conversed with some of them, and asked what were 
the diseases most common. They told me, bilious fevers; 
and that the greatest part of diseases among them, were 
occasioned by excessive cold, and the want of care ; but 
there are few diseases here, added they. The air is pui-e, 
the inhabitants are tolerably temperate; the people in 
good circumstances, are not sufficiently rich to give them- 
selves up to those debaucheries which kill so many in Eur- 
ope, and there are no poor, provisions being so cheap. 

Let those men who doubt the prodigious effects that 
liberty produces on man, and on his industry, transport 
themselves to America. What miracles will they here 
behold ! Whilst everywhere iu Europe the villages and 
towns are falling to ruin, rather than augmenting, new 
edifices are here rising on all sides. New York was in great 
part consumed by fire in the time of the war. The vestiges 
of this terrible conflagTation disappear ; the activity which 
reigns everywhere, annoiinces a rising jirosperity; they 
enlarge in every quai'ter, and extend their streets. Elegant 
buildings, in the English style, take place of those sharp- 
roofed sloping houses of the Dutch. You find some still 
standing in the Dutch style; they afford some pleasure to 
the European observer; they trace to him the origin of 
this colony, and the manners of those who inhabit it, 
whilst they call to his mind the ancient Belgic State. 

I walk out by the side of the North River ; what a rapid 
change in the space of six weeks! The river is forced back 
200 feet, and, by a simple mechanism, they have construct- 
ed a kind of encasement, composed of large trunks of trees, 
crossing each other at convenient distances, and fastened 
together by strong beams. They conduct this floating 



100 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

dyke to the place where it is to be fixed, aud where there 
is often forty feet of water. Arrived at its destination, it 
is sunk with an enormous weight of stones. On all sides, 
houses are raising, aud streets extending; I see nothing but 
busy workmen building and repairing. 

At the same time they are erecting a building for Con- 
gress. They are likewise repairing the hospital ; this build- 
ing is in a bad condition ; not a sick person could be lodged 
in it at the end of the war; it was a building almost aban- 
doned; they have restored the administration of it to the 
Quakers, from whom it had been taken away during the 
war; they have ordered it to be repaired, and the repara- 
tions are executing with the greatest vigor. This building 
is vast; it is of brick, and perfectly well-situated on the 
bank of the North River. It enjoys every avdantage; air 
the most salubrious, that may be renewed at pleasure; 
water in abundance; pleasant and extensive walks for the 
sick ; magnificent and agreeable prospects ; out of the town, 
and yet sufficiently near it. 

It is likewise to the Quakers, to these men so much 
calumniated, of whom I shall speak more fully hereafter, 
that is owing the order observaable in the work-house, of 
which they have the superintendance. 

It is to their zeal that i§ to be attributed the formation 
of the society for the abolition of slavery. As I shall con- 
secrate to this important article a particular chapter, I 
shall not speak of it here. 

A society of a more pompous title, but whose services 
are less i*eal, has been lately formed. Its object is the gen- 
eral promotion of science and useful knowledge. They 
assemble rarely, and they do nothing. They have, however, 
eight hundred pounds in the bank, which remains idle. 
Their president is Governor Clinton; and he is any other 
thing rather than a man of learning. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 101 

This society will have little success here — the Dutch 
are no lovers of letters. 

But though men of leai'uing do not abound in this citj% 
the presence of Congress attracts, from tinie to time, at 
least from all parts of America, the most celebrated men. 
I have seen particularly, Messrs. Jay, Maddison, Hamilton, 
King, and Thornton. I have already spoke to j'ou of the 
first. 

The name of Maddison, celebrated in America, is well 
known in Europe, by the merited elogium made of him by 
his countrynmn and friend, Mr. Jefferson. 

Though still young, he has rendei'od the greatest ser- 
vices to Virginia, to the American confederation, and to 
liberty and humanity in general. He contributed much, 
with Mr. White, in reforming the civil and criminal codes 
of his country. He distinguished himself particularly, 
in the conventions for the acceptation of the new federal 
system. Virginia balanced a long time in adhering to it. 
Mr. Maddison determined to it the members of the con- 
vention, by his eloquence and his logic. This republican 
appears to be but about thirty-three years of age. He had, 
when I saw him, an air of fatigue; perhaps it was the effect 
of the immense labours to which he lias devoted himself 
for some time past. His look announces a censor ; his con- 
versation discovers the man of learning; and his reserve 
was that of a man conscious of his talents and of his duties. 

During the dinner, to which he invited me, they spoke 
of the refusal of North Carolina to accede to the new con- 
stitution. The majority against it was one hundred. Mr. 
Maddison believed that this refusal would have no weight 
on the minds of the Americans, and that it would not im- 
pede the operations of Congress. I told him, that though 
this refusal might be regarded as a trifle in America, it 
would have great weight in Europe; that they would never 



102 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

enquire tliere into tlie motives which dictated it, nor con- 
sider the small consequence of this State in the confedera- 
tion ; that it would be regarded as a germe of division, cal- 
culated to retard the operations of Congress; and that cer- 
tainly this idea would prevent the resurrection of the 
American credit. 

Mr. Maddison attributed this refusal to the attachment 
of a great part of the inhabitants of that State to their 
paper-money, and their tender-act. He was much inclined 
to believe, that this disposition would not remain a long 
time. 

Mr. Hamilton is the worthy fellow-labourer of Mr. 
Maddison; his figure announces a man of thirty-eight or 
forty years ; he is not tall ; his countenauce is decided ; his 
air is open and martial; he was aide-de-cami^ to General 
Washington, who had great confidence in him ; and he well 
merited it. Since the peace, he has taken the profession of 
the law, and devoted himself principally to public af- 
fairs. He has distinguished himself in Congress, by his 
eloquence, and the solidity of his reasoning. Among the 
works which have come from his pen, the most distin- 
guished are, a number of letters inserted in the Federal- 
ist, of which I shall have occasion to speak hereafter; and 
the letters of Phocion, in favour of the royalists. Mr. 
Hamilton had fought them Avith success during the war. 
At the establishment of peace, he was of opinion, that it 
was not best to drive them to dispair by a rigorous perse- 
cution. And he had the happiness to gain over to these 
mild sentiments, those of his compatriots, whose resent- 
ment had been justly excited against these people, for the 
woes they had brought on their country. 

This young orator triumphed again in the convention 
of the State of New York, where the anti-federal party was 
numerous. When the convention was formed at Pough- 



UNITED STATES OF AilERICA 103 

keepsie, three quarters of the members were opposed to 
the new system. Mr. Hamilton, joining his effox'ts to those 
of the celebrated Jay, succeodetl in convincing- the most 
obstinate, that the refusal of New Yorli would entrain the 
greatest misfortunes to that State, and to the Confedera- 
tion. The constitution was adopted; the feast which fol- 
lowed the ratification in New York, was magnificent; the 
ship Federalist, which was drawn in procession, was 
named Hajmilton, in honour of this ehxiuent speaker. 

He has married the daughter of (ieneral Schuyler, a 
charming woman, who joins to the graces all the candour 
and simplicity of an American wife. At dinner, at his 
house, I found General Miflin, who distinguished himself 
for his activity in the last war. To the vivacity of a 
Frenchman, he appears to unite every obliging character- 
istic. 

ilr. King, whom I saw at tliis dinner, passes for the 
most eloquent uian of the United States. What struck me 
mo.st in him was his modesty. He appears ignorant of his 
own worth. Jlr. Hamilton has the determined air of a 
reijublican. ^Ir. Maddison the meditative air of a pro- 
found politician. 

At this dinner, as at most others which I made in 
America, they drank the health of M. de la Fayette. The 
Americans consider him as one of the heroes of their 
liberty. He uierits their love and esteem; they have not 
a better friend in France. His generosity to them has 
been manifested on all public occasions, and still more in 
private circumstances, M'here benefits remain unknown. 
It is not, perhaps, to the honour of France, or the French- 
men who have been in America, to recount the fact, that 
he is the only one who lias succourefl the unhappy sufferers 
in the fire at Boston,* and the only one Avhose doors are 
open to the Americans. 



•He save L. 300 sterling. 



104 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Doctor Tliornton, intimately connected with the Amer- 
icans whom I have mentioned, runs a different career, that 
of humanity. Though, by his appearance, he does not be- 
long to the Society of Friends, he has their principles, and 
practices their morals with regard to tlie blacks. He told 
me the efforts which he has made for the execution of a 
vast project conceived by him for their benefit. Persuaded 
that there never can exist a sincere union between the 
whites and blacks, even on admitting the latter to the 
rights of freemen, he proposes to send them back, and es- 
tablish them in Africa. This plan is frightful at the first 
aspect; but, on examination, it appears to be necessary 
and advantageous. I shall not enter upon it here, but re- 
serve it for my letter on the state of the blacks in this 
country. Mr. Thornton, who appears, by his vivacity and 
his agreeable manners, to belong to the French nation, was 
born at Antigua; his mother has a plantation there. It is 
there that, instead of hardening his heart to the fate of 
the negroes, as most of the planters do, he has acquired 
that humanity, that couipassion for tliem, M'ith which he 
is so much tormented. He told me, he should have set his 
slaves at liberty, if it had been in his power ; but not being 
able to do this, he treats them like men. 

I cannot finish this letter without speaking of another 
American, whose talents in finance are well known here; 
it is Colouel Duer, secretai-y to the board of treasury. It 
is difficult to unite to a great facility in calculation, more 
extensive views and a quicker penetration into the most 
complicated projects. To these qualities he joins goodness 
of heart; and it is to his obliging charactei-, and his zeal, 
that I owe much valuable information on the finances of 
this country, which I shall communicate hereafter. 

I should still be wanting in gratitude, should I neglect 
to mention the politeness and attention shewed me by the 
President of Congress, Mr. Griffin. He is a Virginian, of 



>l 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 105 

very good abilities, of au agi-eeable figure, affable, and 
polite. I saw at his house, at dinner, seven or eight women, 
all dressed in great hats, plumes, etc. It was with pain 
that I remarked much of pretension in some of these wo- 
men; one acted the giddy, vivacious; another, the woman 
of sentiment. This last had many pruderies and grimaces. 
Two among them had their bosoms very naked. I was 
scandalized at this indecency among republicans. 

A President of Congress is far from being surrounded 
with the splendour of European mouarclis; and so much 
the better. He is not durable in his station; and so much 
the better. He never forgets that he is a simple citizen, 
and will soon return to the station of one. He does not 
give pompous dinners; and so much the better. He has 
fewer parasites, and less means of corruptiou. 

I remarked, that his table was freed from many usages 
observed elsewhere — no fatiguing presentations, no toasts, 
so despairing in a numerous society. Little wine was 
drank after the women had retired. These traits will give 
you au idea of the temperance of this country; temper- 
ance, the leading virtue of republicans. 

I ought to add one word on the finances of this State. 
The facility of raising an impost on foreign commerce, 
puts them in a situation to pay, with punctuality, the 
expenses of the Government, the interest of their State 
debt, and their part of the civil list of Congress. Their 
revenues are said to amount to L. 80,000, money of New 
York. The expenses of the city and county of New York 
amounted, in 1787, to one-eighth of this sum, that is, to 
L. 10,110. I will add here a stiite of these expences: 

Salaries L. 37 10 .. 

Elections 02 12 . . 

Carried over L. 100 2 .. 



106 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Brought ovei* . . . . L. 100 

Pumps and wells .... 201 

Koads and streets .... 734 

Poor houses 3,791 

Bridewell, or house of 

correction 899 

Lamps 1,439 

Nlight watch 1,931 

Prisoners 372 18 10 

Repairs of public build- 
ings 342 15 11 

Quays 25 . . 

City of New York .... 137 19 . . 

County of New York . . 130 9 . . 



8 


4 


2 


1 


14 


4 


11 


4 


19 


, . 


.-) 





L.10,110 1 10 
The bank of NeAv York enjoys a good reputation; it is 
well administered. Its cashier is ilr. William Seton, to 
whom Mr. de Crevecoeur has addressed his letters; and 
what will give you a good idea of his integrity, is, that 
he was chosen to this important place notwithstanding his 
known attachment to the English cause. This bank re- 
ceives and pays, without reward, for merchants and others, 
who choose to open an account with it. 

LETTER VI 

JOURNEY FROM NEW YORK TO PHILADELPHIA 

I went from New York the 25th of August, at six 
o'clock in the morning; and had the north river to pass 
before ai'riving at the stage. We passed the feiTy in an 
open boat, and landed at Paulus Hook; they reckon two 
miles for this ferry, for which we pay sixpence, money of 
New York. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 107 

The carriage is a kind of open wagon, Imng with 
double curtaius of leather and woollen, whicii you raise 
or let fall at pleasure; it is not well suspended. But the 
road was so line, being sand and gravel, that we felt no 
iueonveuieuce from that circumstance. The horses are 
good, and go with rapidity. These carriages have four 
benches, and may contain twelve persons. The light bag- 
gage is put under the benches, and the trunks fixed on 
behind. A traveller who does not choose to take the stage, 
has a one-horse carriage by himself. 

Let the Frenchmen who have travelled in these car- 
riages, compare them to those used in France; to those 
heavy diligences, where eight or ten persons are stuffed 
in together ; to those cabriolets in the environs of Paris, 
where two persons are closely confined, and deprived of 
air, by a dirty driver, who torments his miserable jades ; 
and those carriages have to run over the finest roads, and 
yet make but one league an hour. If the Americans had 
such roads, with what rapidity would they travel? since, 
notwithstanding the inconvenience of the roads, they now 
run ninety-six miles a day. Thus, with only a century 
and a half of existence, and opposed by a thousand ob- 
stacles, they are already superior to people wlio have been 
undisturbed in their progress of fifteen centuries. 

You find in these stages, men of all professions. They 
succeed each other with rapidity. One who goes but twen- 
ty miles, yields his place to one who goes farther. The 
mother and daughter mount the stage to go ten miles to 
dine; another stage brings them back. At every instant, 
then, you are making new acquaintances. The frequency 
of these carriages, the facility of finding places in them, 
and the low and fixed price, invite the Americans to travel. 
These carriages have anotlier advantage, they keep up the 
idea of equality. The member of Congress is placed by the 



108 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

side of the shoemaker who elected him; they fraternize 
together, and converse with familiarity. You see no person 
here taking upon himself those important airs, which you 
too often meet with in France. In that country, a man 
of condition would blush to travel in a diligence; it is an 
ignoble carriage; one knows not with whom he may find 
himself. Besides, it is in style to run post; this style 
serves to humiliate those who are condemned to a sad 
mediocrity. From this inequality result envy, the taste 
for luxury, ostentation, an avidity for gain, the habit of 
mean and guilty measures to acquire wealth. It is then 
fortunate for America, that the nature of things prevents 
this distinction in the mode of travelling. 

The artizan, or the labourer, who finds himself in one 
of these stages Avith a man in place, composes himself, is 
silent ; or If he endeavors to rise to the level of others by 
taking part in the conversation, he at least gains instruc- 
tion. The man in place has less haughtiness, and is facili- 
tated in gaining a knowledge of the people. 

The son of Governor Livingston was in the stage with 
me; I should not have found him out, so civil and easy 
was his air, had not the tavern-keepers from time to time 
addressed him with respectful familiarity. I am told that 
the governor himself often uses those stages. You may 
have an idea of this respectable man, who is at once a 
writer, a governor, and a plowman, on learning that he 
takes a pride in calling himself a New Jersey farmer. 

The American stages, then, are the true political car- 
riages. I know that the petits maitres of France would 
prefer a gay, well suspended chariot; but these carriages 
roll in countries of Bastilles, in countries afflicted with 
great inequality, and consequently with great misery. 

The road from New York to Newark is in part over a 
marsh; I found it really astonishing; it recalls to mind 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 109 

the indefatigable industry of the ancient Dutch settlers, 
mentioned bj- Mr. de Crevecoeur. Built wholly of wood, 
with much labour and perseverance in the midst of water, 
on a soil that trembles under your feet, it proves to what 
point may be carried the patience of man, who is deter- 
mined to conquer nature. 

But though much of these mai'shes are drained, there 
remains a large extent of them covered with stagnant 
waters, which infect the air, and give birth to those mus- 
quitoes with which j'ou are cruelly tormented, and to an 
epidemical fever which makes great ravages in summer; 
a fever known likewise in Virginia and in the Southern 
States, in pai't adjacent to the sea. I am assured that the 
upper parts of New Jersey are exempt from this fever, 
and from musquitoes; but this State is ravaged by a 
political scourge, more terrible than either; it is paper 
money. This paper is still, in New Jersey, what the peo- 
ple call a legal tender; that is, you are obliged to receive 
it at its nominal value, as a legal payment. 

I saw, in this journey, many inconveniences resulting 
from this fictitious money. It gives birth to an infamous 
kind of traffic, that of buying and selling it, by deceiving 
the ignorant; a commerce which discourages industry, 
corriipts the morals, and is a great detriment to the pub- 
lic. This kind of stock-jobber is the enemy to his fellow- 
citizens. He makes a science of deceiving; and this science 
is extremely contagious. It introduces a general distrust. 
A person can neither sell his land, nor borrow money upon 
it; for sellers and lenders may be paid in a medium which 
may still depreciate, they know not to what degree it may 
depreciate. A friend dares not trust his friend. In- 
stances of perfidy of this kind have been known, that are 
horrible. Patriotism is consequently at an end, cultiva- 
tion languishes, and commerce declines. IIow is it pos- 



110 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

sible, said I to Mr. Livingston, that a country, so rich, 
can have recourse to paper money? New Jersey furnishes 
productions in abundance to New York and Philadclplila. 
She draws money, then, constantly from those places ; she 
is tlieir creditor. And shall a creditor make use of a re- 
source which caji be proper only for a miserable debtor? 
How Is it that the membei-s of your legislature have not 
made these reflections? The reason of it is very simple, 
replied he : At the close of the ruinous war, that we have 
experienced, the greater part of our citizens were burdened 
with debts. They saw, in this paper money, the means of 
extricating themselves ; and they had influence enough with 
their repi'esentatives to force them to create it. But the 
evil falls at length on the authors of it, said I ; they must 
be paid themselves, as well as pay others, in this same 
paper; and why do they not see that it dishonours their 
country, that it ruins all kinds of honest industry, and 
coiTupts the morals of the people? Why do they not re- 
peal their legal tender? A strong interest opposes it re- 
plied he, of stock-jobbers and speculators. They wish to 
prolong this miserable game, iu which they are sure to be 
the winners, though the ruin of their country should be 
the consequence. We expect relief only from the new con- 
stitufion, which takes away from the States the power of 
making paper money. All honest people wisli the extinc- 
tion of it, when silver and gold would re-appear; and our 
national industry would soon repair the ravages of the 
war. 

From Newark we went to dine at New Brunswick; 
and to sleep at Trenton. The road is bad between the two 
last places, especially after a rain; it is a road difficult 
to be kept in repair. We passed by Prince-Town; this 
part of New Jersey is very well cultivated. . Mr. de Creve- 
coeur has not exaggerated in his description of it. All 



I 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 111 

the towus are well built, ^vhetlier in wood, stone, or brick. 
These places are too well known in the militai*y annals of 
this country, to require that I should speak of them. The 
taverns are much dearer on this read, than in Massachu- 
setts and Connecticut; I paid at Trenton, for a dinner, 
three shillings and sixpence, money of Pennsylvania. 

We passed the ferry from Trenton at seven in the morn- 
ing. The Delaware, which separates Pennsylvania from 
New Jersey, is a superb river, navigable for the largest 
ships. Its navigation is intercepted by the ice during two 
months in the year. Vessels are not attacked here by those 
worms, which are so destructive to them in rivers farther 
south. 

The prospect from the middle of the river is charming; 
on the right, you see mills and manufactories; on the left, 
two charming little towns, which overlook the water. The 
borders of this river are still in their wild state. In the 
forests, which cover them, are some enormous trees. There 
are likewise some houses ; but they are not equal, in point 
of simple elegance, to those of Massachusetts. 

We l)reakfasted at Bristol, a town opposite to Burling- 
ton. It was here that the famous Penn first planted his 
tabernacles. But it was represented to him, that the river 
here did not furnish anchoring ground so good and so safe 
as the place already inhabited by the Swedes, "where Phila- 
delphia has since been built. He resolved, then, to pur- 
chase this place of tham, give them other lands in exchange, 
and to leave Bristol. 

Passing the river Shammony, on a new bridge, and 
then the village of Frankford, we arrived at Philadelphia, 
by a fine road liordered with the best cultivated fields, and 
elegant houses, which announce the neighbourhood of a 
great town. 



112 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

LETTER VII 

JOURNEY TO BURLINGTON 

August 27, 1788. 

I had passed but few hours at Philadelphia, when a 
particular business called me to Burlington, on the bor- 
ders of the Delawai-e. It is an elegant little town, more 
ancient tlian Phihidelphia. Many of the inhabitants are 
Friends, or (Quakers; this was formerly their place of gen- 
eral rendezvous. 

From thence I went to tlie country-house of Mr. Temple 
Franklin. He is tlie grandson of the celebrated Franklin ;- 
and as well known in France for his amiable qualities, 
as for his general information. His house is five miles 
from Burlington, on a sandy soil, covered with a forest 
of pines. His house is simple, his garden is well kept, he 
has a good library, and liis situation seems destined for 
the reti"eat of a philosopher. 

I dined here with five or six Frenchmen, who began 
their conversation with invectives against America and 
the Anieritans, against their want of laws, their papei*- 
money, and their ill faith. I defended the Americans, or 
rather 1 desired to be instructed by facts; for I was deter- 
mined no more to believe in the opinions of individuals. 

Vnii wish for facts, said one of them, who had existed 
in this country for three years: I will give you some 
I say that the country is a miserable one. In New Jersey, 
where we now are, there is no money, there is nothing but 
paper. The money is locked up, said Mr. Franklin. Would 
you have a man be fool enough to exchange it for depre- 
ciated rags? Wait till the law shall take the paper from 
circulation. But you cannot borrow money on the best 
security. I believe it, said Mr. Franklin ; the lender fears 
to be paid in paper. These facts prove not the scarcity 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA li;^ 

of inouey, but the prudence of those who hold it, and the 
influence that debtors have in the legislature. 

They passed to another point. Your laws are arbi- 
trai'y, and often unjust; for instance, there is a law laying 
a tax of a dollar on the second dog; and this tax augments 
in proportion to the number that a man keeps. Thus a 
labourer has need of dogs; biit he is deprived of their suc- 
cour. He has no need of theim, said 3Ir. Franklin, he keeps 
theiu but for his pleasure; and if any thing ought to be 
taxed, it is pleasure. The dogs are injurious to the sheep; 
instead of defending them, they often kill them. I was one 
of the first to solicit this law, because we are infested with 
dogs from this quartoi'. To get rid of them, we have put 
a tax on them, and it has produced salutary effects. The 
money arising from this tax, is destined to indemnify those 
whose sheep are destroyed by these animals. 

3ry Frenchman returned to the charge: But your taxes 
are extremely heavy. You shall judge of that, says Mr. 
Franklin. I have an estate here of five or six liundred 
acres; my taxes last year amounted to eight pounds, in 
paper money; this reduced to hard money, is six pounds. 

Nothing can be more conclusive than those replies. 
I am sure, however, that this Frenchman has forgot them 
all, and that he A\ill go and declare to France, that the 
taxes in New Jersey are distressingly heavy, and that tlie 
imposition on dogs is abominable. 

Burlington is separated from Bristol only by the river. 
Here is some commerce, and some men of considerable 
capital. The children here have that air of health and 
decency, which characterises the sect of the Quakers. 

LETTER VIII 

August 28, 17S8. 
On returning from Burlington, I went with Mr. Shoe- 
maker to the house of his father-in-law, Mv. Richardson, a 



If 



114 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

farmer, wlio lives near Middleton, tweuty-two miles from 
Philadelphia. 

jMr. Shoemaker is thirty years of age ; he was not edu- 
cated in the sect of Friends; he declared to me that, in his 
youth, he was far from their principles ; that he had lived 
in pleasure; that growing weary of them, he had reflected 
on his conduct, aud resolved to change it ; that he studied 
the principles of the Quakers, and soon became a member 
of their society, notwithstanding the railleries of his 
friends. He had married the daughter of this Quaker, to 
whose house we were going. I wished to see a true Ameri- 
can farmer. 

I was really charmed with the order and neatness of 
this house, aud of its inhabitants. They have three sons 
and seven daughters. One of the latter only is married; 
three others are marriageable. They are beautiful, easy in 
their manners, and decent in their deportment. Their 
dress is simple ; they wear fine cotton on Sunday, and that 
which is not so fine on other days. These daughters aid 
their mother in the management of the family. The mother 
has much activity; she held in her arms a little grand- 
daughter, which Avas caressed by all the children. It is 
truly a patriarchal family. The farmer is occupied con- 
stantly in the fields. We conversed much on the Society 
of Friends, the Society in France for the abolition of 
slavery, the growing of wheat, etc. 

No, never was I .so much edified as in this house; it is 
the a.sylum of union, friendship, and hospitality. The 
beds were neat, the linen white, the covering elegant; the 
cabinets, desks, chairs, and tables, were of black walnut, 
well polished, and shining. The garden furnished vege- 
tables of all kinds and fruits. There Avere ten horses in 
the stable; the Indian corn of the last year, still on the 
cob, lay in large quantities in a cabin, of which the narrow 



UNITED SSTATEH UF AMEKICA 115 

planks, placed at small distances from each other, leave 
openings for the circnlation of the air. 

The barn was full of wheat, oats, etc. ; their cows fur- 
nish delicious milk for the family, of which they make 
excellent cheeses ; their sheep give them the wool of which 
the cloth is made, which covers the father and the children. 
This cloth is spun in the house, wove and fulled in the 
neighborhood. All the linen is made in the house. 

Mr. Shoemaker showed me the place where this worthy 
cultivator was going to build a house for his eldest son. 
You see, sa^'s he to me, the wealth of this good farmer. 
His father was a poor Scotchman; he came to America, 
and applied himself to agriculture, and by his industry 
and economy amassed a large fortune. This son of his is 
likewise rich, he sells his grain to a miller in the neighbor- 
hood; his vegetables, butter, and cheese, are sent once a. 
week to town. 

I went to see this miller. I recollected what Mr. de 
Crevecoeur had said in praise of the American mills. This 
one merited it for its neatness, and for the intelligence with 
which the different operations were distributed. There 
were three sets of stone destined to the making of flour of 
different degrees of fineness. They employ only the stones 
of France for the first quality of flour. They are exported 
from Bordeaux and IJouen. In these mills they have 
multiplied the machinery, to spare hand-labour in all the 
operations; such as, hoisting the wheat, cleaning it, rais- 
ing the flour to the place where it is to be spread, collecting- 
it again into the chamber, where it is to be put in barrels. 
These barrels are marked at the mill with the name of the 
miller; and this mark indicates the (luality of the flour. 
That which is designed for exportation, is again inspected 
at the port; and, if not merchantable, it is condemned. 



116 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

The millers here are flour merchants ; mills are a kind 
of property which ensures a constant income. 

LETTER IX 

VISIT FROM THE GOOD WARNEIl MIFLIN 

August 30, 178S. 

I was sick, and Warner Miflin came to see me. You 
know Warner Miflin; you have read the eulogium made 
of him by M. de Crevecoeur. It is he that first freed all 
his slaves; it is he who, without a passport, traversed the 
British army, and spoke to General Howe with so much 
firmness and dignity; it is he who, fearing not the effects 
of the general hatred against the Quakers, went, at the 
risk of being treated as a spy, to present himself to General 
Washington, to justify to him the conduct of the Quakers; 
it is he, that in the midst of the furies of war, equally a 
friend to the French, the English, and the Americans, 
carried generous succours to those among them who were 
suffering. W'ell, this angel of peace came to see me. I 
am Warner Miflin, says he; I have read the book wherein 
thou defendest the cause of the Friends, wherein thou 
preachest the princijdes of universal benevolence; I knew 
that thou wast here, and I have come to see thee ; besides, I 
love tliy nation. I was, I confess, much prejudiced against 
the French; I even hated them, having been, in this re- 
spect, educated in tlie English principles. But when I 
came to see them, a secret voice said to me, that I ought 
to drive from my heart that prejudice; that I ought to 
know them, and love them. I have then sought for them. 
I have known them ; and it is with pleasure I have found 
tliem to possess a spint of mildness and general benevo- 
lence, which I had never found among the English. 

I cannot report to you all the conversation of this 
worthy Qualcer; it made a deep impression on my heart. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 117 

What humanity! and what charity! It seems, that to love 
mankind, and to search to do them good, constitutes his 
only pleasure, his only existence ; his constant occupation 
is to find the means of making all men but one family ; 
and he does not despair of it. He spoke to me of the Society 
of Quakers at Nismes, and of some friends in America and 
England, who have been to visit them. He regarded them 
as instruments destined to propagate the principles of the 
society through the world. I mentioned to liim some ob- 
stacles; such as the corrputiou of our morals, and the 
power of the clergy. Oh ! my friend, said he, is not the arm 
of the Almighty stronger than the arm of man? What 
were we, when the Society took its birth in England? 
What was America thirteen years ago, when Benezet 
raised his voice against the slavery of the blacks? T^et 
us always endeavour to do good; fear no obstacles, and 
the good will be done. 

All this was said without the least ostentation. He 
said what he felt, what he had thought a thousand times ; 
he spoke from the heart, and not from the head. He real- 
ized what he had told me of that secret voice, that intei'nal 
spirit, of which the Quakers speak so uuich ; he was ani- 
mated by it. Ah ! who can see, who can hear a man, so 
much exalted above human nature, without reflecting on 
himself, without endeavouring to imitate him, without 
blushing at his own weakness? What are the finest writ- 
ings, in comparison with a life so pure, a conduct so con- 
stantly devoted to the good of humanity? How small I 
appeared in contemplating him ! And shall we calumniate 
a sect to which a man so venerable belongs? Shall we 
paint it as the center of hypocrisy and deceit? We must 
then suppose that Miflin counterfeits humanity; that he 
is in concert with hypocrites, or that he is blind to their 
true character. To counterfeit humanity, to consent to 



118 NE\Y TKAVELS IN THE 

sacrifice oue's interests, to be scoffed ami ridiculed, to 
impart his goods to the poor, to affranchise liis negroes, 
and all this by hypocrisy, would be a very bad specula- 
tion; hypocrisy makes better calculations. But, if you 
suppose this man to be true and honest as to himself, can 
you imagine him to be in concert with knaves? This would 
be an absurd contradiction. Finally, on hearing this man, 
full of good sense, and endowed with a solid judgment, 
reasoning with so much force, can you believe that he has 
been, for all his life, the dupe of a band of sharpers, when 
he is at the same time in all their most secret counsels, and 
one of their chiefs? Yes, my friend, I repeat it, the at- 
tachment of an angel like Warner Miflin to the sect of 
Quakers, is the fairest apology for that society. 

He took me one day to see his intended Avife, Miss Arae- 
land, whom he was to marry in a few days. She is a worthj' 
companion of this reputable Qualvcr. What mildness! 
what modesty ! and, at the same time, what entertainment 
in her conversation ! Miss Ameland once loved the world. 
She made verses and music, and was fond of dancing. 
Though young still, she has renounced all these amuse- 
ments, to embrace the life of aa anchorite. In the midst 
of the world, she has persisted in her design, notwithstand- 
ing the pleasantries of her acquaintance. 

LETTER X 

THE FUNEEAL OF A QUAKER — A QUAKER 
MEETING 

I was present at the funeral of Thomas Holwell, one of 
the elders of the Society of Friends. James Pemberton 
conducted me to it. I found a number of Friends assem- 
bled about the house of the deceased, and waiting in silence 
for the body to appear. It appeai-ed, and was in a coffin 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 119 

of black waluut, without any covering oi* oruainent, borne 
by four Friends; some women followed, who, I was told, 
were the nearest relatives, and grand-children of the de- 
ceased.* All his friends followed in silence, two by two. 
I was of the number. There were no places designated; 
young and old mingled together; but all bore the same air 
of gravity and attention. The burying ground is in the 
town; but it is not surrounded with houses. I saw near 
some of the graves, some pieces of black stones, on which 
the names only of the dead were engraved. The greatest 
part of the Quakers dislike even this; they say, that a man 
ought to live in the memory of his friends, not by vain in- 
scriptions, but by good actions. The grave was six or 
seven feet deep ; they placed the body by the side of it. On 
the opposite side were seated, on wooden cliairs, the four 
women, who appeared to be the most affected. The people 
gathered round, and remained for five minutes in profound 
meditation. All their countenances marked a gravity suit- 
able to the occasion, but nothing of grief. This interval 
being elapsed, they let down the body, and covered it with 
earth ; when a man advanced near the grave, planted his 
cane in the ground, fixed his hat upon it, and began a dis- 
course relative to this sad ceremony. He trembled in all 
his body, and his eyes were staring and wild. His dis- 
course turned upon the tribulations of this life, the neces- 
sity of recurring to God, etc. When he had finished, a 
woman threw herself on her knees, made a very short 
prayer, the men took off their hats, and all retired. 

I was at first surprised, I confess, at this trembling of 
the preachei'. We are so accustomed, by our European 
philosophy, to consider those appearances as the effect of 
hj'pocrisy, and to annex to them the idea of ridicule, that 



•None of them were dressed in black. The Quakers r»?ard this testimony 
of grief as childish. 



120 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

it was difficult to prevent myself from being seized with a 
like impression ; but I recollect that something similar had 
happened to me a hundred times; when I had been warmed 
with a subject, and drawn into an interesting discussion, 
I have been transported out of myself to such a degree, that 
I could neither see nor hear, but experienced a consider- 
able trembling. Ilence I concluded, that it might be na- 
tural, especially to a man continually occupied in medita- 
tion on the Almighty, on death, and a future state. T went 
from thence with these Friends to their meeting. The most 
profound silence reigned for near an hour; when one of 
their ministers, or eldei-s, who sat on the front bench, rose, 
pronounced four words — then was silent for a minute, 
then spoke four words more; and his whole discourse was 
pronounced in this manner. This method is generally fol- 
lowed by their preachers; for, another who spoke after 
him, observed the same intervals. 

A^'hether I judged from habit or reason, I know not; 
but this manner of speaking appeared to me not calculated 
to produce a great effect; for the sense of the phrase is 
perpetually interrupted ; and the hearer is obliged to giiess 
at the meaning, or be in suspense; either of wiiich is fatigu- 
ing. But before forming a decisive opinion, we ought to 
enquire into the reasons which have led the Quakers to 
adopt this method. Cei*tainly the manner of the ancient 
orators and modern preachers, is better imagined for pro- 
ducing the great effect of eloquence. They speak by turns, 
to the imagination, to the passions, and to the reason ; 
they please in order to move; they please in order to con- 
vince; and it is by pleasure that they draw you after them. 
This is the eloquence necessary for men enervated and en- 
feebled, who wish to spare themselves the trouble of think- 
ing. The Quakers are of a different character; they early 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 121 

habituate themselves to meditation, and of few words. 
They have no need, then, of preachers with sounding- 
phrases and long sermons. They disdain elegance as an 
useless amusement; and long sermons appear dispropor- 
tioned to the force of the human mind, and improper for 
the divine service. The mind shotd<l not be loaded with 
too many truths at once, if you wish they should make a 
lasting impression. The object of preaching being to con- 
vert, it ought rather to lead to reflection, than to dazzle 
and amuse. I observed, in the countenances of all tliis 
congregation, an air of gravity mixed with sadness. Per- 
haps I am prejudiced ; but I should like better, while peo- 
ple are adoring their God, to see them have an air which 
would dispose persons to love each other, and to be fond 
of the worship. Such an air would be attracting to young 
people, whom too much severity disgusts. Besides, why 
should a person with a good conscience, pray to God with 
a sad countenance? 

The prayer which terminated this meeting was fer- 
vent; it was pronounced by a minister, who fell on his 
knees. The men took off their hats; and each retired, after 
having shaken hands with his neighbour. 

What a difference between the simplicity of this, and 
the pomp of the Gatholic worship! Reformation, in all 
stages, has diminished the formalities; you will find this 
regular diminution in descending from the Catholic to the 
Lutheran, from the Lutheran to the Presbyterian, and 
from thence to Quakers and Methodists. It is thus that 
human reason progresses towai-ds perfection. 

In con.sidering the simplicity of tlie Quaker's worship, 
and the air of sadness that in the eyes of strangers appears 
to accompany it, an air which one would think disgusting 
to young people, even of their own sect. I have been sur- 



122 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

prised that the Society should maintain a concurrence with 
more brilliant sects, and even increase by making pro- 
selytes from theim. This effect is principally to be attrib- 
uted to tlie singular image of domestic happiness which 
the Quakers enjoy. Renouncing all external pleasures, 
music, theatres, and shows, they are devoted to their duties 
as citizens, to their families, and to their business; thus 
they are beloved by their wives, cherished by their chil- 
dren, and esteemed by their neighbours. Such is the spec- 
tacle which has often drawn to this Society, men who have 
ridiculed it in their youth. 

Tlie histoid of the Quakers will prove the falsity of a 
principle often advanced in politics. It is this: that, to 
maintain order in society, it is necessary to have a mode 
of worship striking to the senses ; and that the more show 
and pomp are introduced into it, the better. This is what 
has given birth to, and still justified, our full chants, our 
spiritual concerts, our processions, our ornaments, etc. 
Two or three hundred thousand Quakers have none of these 
mummeries, and yet they observe good order. 

This fact has led me to another conclusion, the solidity 
of which has been hitherto disputed. It is, the possibility 
of a nation of Deists.* A nation of Deists maintaining 
good government, would be a miracle in political religion. 
And why should it not exist, when knowledge shall be 
more universally extended, when it shall penetrate all 
ranks of society? What difference would there be be- 
tween a society of Deists, and one of Quakers, assembling 
to hear a discourse on the immortality of the soul, and to 
pray God in simple language! 

•Neither tlic English nor Americans attach the same Idea to this word that 
a Frenchman does. They consider a Deist as a king of Materialist. — I under- 
stanc" by a Deist, a man that believes in God, and the immortalitv of the soul. 



UNITED STATES OF AJIEKICA 123 

LETTER XI 

VISIT TO A BETTERING-IIOUSE, OR HOUSE OF 
CORRECTION* 

September 1, 1788. 

This hospital is situated iu the open country, in one of 
those parts of tlie original plan of Philadelpliia not yet 
covered with houses. It is already divided into regular 
streets; and, God grant that these prajected streets may 
never be any thing more tlian imaginary! If they should 
one day be adorned with houses, it would be a misfortune 
to the hospitals, to Pennsylvania, and to all America. 

This hospital is constructed of bricks, and composed 
of two large buildings; one for men, and the other for 
women. There is a separation in the court, which is com- 
mon to them. This institution has several objects : they 
receive into it, the poor, the sick, orphans, women in tra- 
vail, and per.sons attacked with venereal diseases. They 
likewise confine here, vagabonds, disorderly persons, and 
girls of scandalous lives. 

There exists then, you will say, even in Philadelpliia, 
that disgusting commerce of diseases, I'atlier than of pleas- 
ures, which for so long a time has empoisoned our con- 
tinent. Yes, my friend, two or three of the most consider- 
able maritime towns of the new continent are afflicted I\v 
this leprosy. It was almost unknown before the revolu- 
tion; but the abode of foreign armies has naturalized it, 
and it is one of those scourges for which the free Americans 
are indebted to us. But this traffic is not carried on so 
scandalously as at Paris or London. It is restrained, it 
is held in contempt, and almost imperceptible. I ought to 
say, to the honor of the Americans, that it is nourishefl only 
by emigrants and European travellers; for the sanctity of 

•TIij'- house is properly named: because, contrary to the ordinary effnt of 
hospitalB, it renders the prisoners better. 



124 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

marriage is still universally respected in America. Young 
people marrying early, and Avithout obstacles, are not 
tempted to go and dishonour, and empoison themselves in 
places of prostitution. 

But to finish my account of this hospital, there are par- 
ticular halls appropriated to each class of poor, and to 
each species of sickness ; and each hall has its superintend- 
ent. This institution was rich, and well administered 
before the war. The greater part of the administrators 
were Quakers. The war and paper-money introduced a 
different order of things. The legislature resolved not to 
admit to its administration, any persons but such as had 
taken the oath of fidelity to the State. The Quakers were 
by this excluded, and the management of it fell into hands 
not so pure. The spirit of depredation was manifest in it, 
and paper-money was still more injurious. Creditors of 
the hospital were paid, or rather ruined by this operation. 
About a year ago, on the report of the inspectors of the 
hospitals, the legislature, considering the abuses practised 
in that administration, confided that of the bettering- 
house again to the Quakers. Without any resentment of 
the affronts they had received dui'ing the war, and only 
anxious to do good and perform their duty, the Friends 
accepted the administration, and exercised it, as before, 
with zeal and fidelity. This change has produced the ef- 
fect which was expected. Order is visibly reestablished; 
many adlministrators are appointed, one of whom, by turns, 
is to visit the hospital every day; six physicians are at- 
tached to it, who perform the service gratis. 

I have seen the hospitals of France, both at Paris, and 
in the provinces. I know none of them, but the one at 
Besancon, that can be compared to this at Philadelphia 
Every sick, and every poor person, has his bed well fur- 
nished, but without curtains, as it should be. Every room 



UNITED STATES OF AMEIUCA 125 

is lighted by windows placed opposite, which introduce 
plenty of light, that great consolation to a man confined, 
of which tyrants for this reason are cruelly sparing. Tliese 
windows admit a free circulation of air; most of them open 
over the fields ; and as they are not very high, and are with- 
out grates, it would be very easy for the prisoners to make 
their escape; but the idea never enters rheir heads. This 
fact proves that the prisoners are happy, and, consequently, 
that the ad'ministration is good. 

Tlie kitchens are well kept, and do not exhale that fetid 
odour which you perceive from the best kitchens in Prance. 
The eating-ro(mis, wliich are on the ground floor, are equal- 
ly clean, and Avell aired; neatness and good air reign in 
every part. A large garden at the end of the court, furnishes 
vegetables for the kitchen. I was surprised to find there, 
a great number of foreign shrubs and plants. Tlie garden 
is well cultivated. In the yard they rear a great number 
of hogs; for, in America, the hog, as well as the ox, does 
the honours of the table through the whole year. 

I could scarcely describe to you the different sensations 
which, by tiu-ns, rejoiced and afflicted my heart, in going 
through their different appartments. An hospital, how well 
soever administered, is always a painful spectacle to me. 
It appeal's to me so consoling for a sick man to be at his 
own home, attended by his wife and children, and visited 
by his neighbours, that I regard hospitals as vast sepul- 
chres, where are brought together a crowd of individuals, 
strangers to each other, and separated from all they hold 
dear. And what is man in this situation? A leaf detached 
from the tree, and driven down by the torrent — a skeleton 
no longer of any consistence, and bordering on dissolution. 

But this idea soon gives place to another. Since socie- 
ties are condemned to be infested with great cities, since 
misery and vice are the necessary offspring of these cities. 



126 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

;i house like this becomes the asylum of beuefioence; for, 
without the aid of such institutions, what would become of 
the greater part of those wretches who here find a refuge? 
So many women, blind, deaf, rendered disgusting by their 
numerous infirmities. They must very soon perish, aban- 
doned by all the world, to whom they are strangers. No 
door but that of their common mother earth would receive 
these hideous figures, were it not for this provision made 
by their common friend. Society. 

I saw in this hospital, all that misery and disease can 
assemble. I saw a woman suft'ei'ing on the bed of pain; 
others, whose meagre visages, roughened with pimples, 
attest the effect of fatal incontinence ; others, who waited 
with groans the mofment when Heaven would deliver them 
from a burden which dishonours them ; others, holding in 
their arms the fruit, not of a legal marriage, but of love 
betrayed. Poor innocents ! born under the star of wretch- 
edness! Why should men be born, predestinated to mis- 
fortunes? But, bless God, at least, that you are in a coun- 
try where bastardy is no obstacle to respectability and the 
rights of citizenship. I saw with pleasui'e, these unhappy 
mothers caressing their infants, and nursing them with ten- 
derness. There were few children in the hall of the little 
orphans ; these were in good health, and appeared gay and 
happy. Mr. Shoemaker, who conducted me thither, and 
another of the directors, distributed some cakes among 
them, which they had brought in their pockets. Thus the 
directors think of their charge even at a distance, and 
occupy themselves with their happiness. Good God ! there 
is, then, a country where the soul of the governor of an 
hospital, is not a soul of brass! 

Blacks are here mingled with the whites, and lodged 
in the same apartments. This, to me, was an edifying 
sight; it seemed a balm to my soul. I saw a negro woman 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 127 

spiuuiug \\itli activity by the side of her bed. Her eyes 
seemed to expect from the director, a word of consolation — 
she obtained it ; au<l it seemed to be heaven to her to hear 
him. I should have been more happy, had it been for me 
to have spoken this word : I should have added many more. 
Unhappy negroes ! how much reparation do we owe them 
for the evils we have occasioned them — the evils we still 
occasion them ! and they love us ! 

The happiness of this uegress was not equal to that 
which I saw spai'kle on the visage of a young blind girl, 
who seemed to leap for joy at the sound of the director's 
voice. He asked after her health ; she answered him with 
transport. She was taking her tea by the side of her little 
table. Her tea! My friend, you are astonished at this 
luxury in an hospital. It is because there is humanity in 
its administraticm, and the wretches are not crowded in 
liere in iieaps to be stilled. They give tea to those whose 
conduct is satisfactory; and those who by their work are 
able to nuike some savings, enjoy the fruits of their in- 
dustry. I remarked in this hospital, that the women Avere 
much more numerous than the men; and a.moug the latter, 
I saw none of those hideous figures so common in the hos- 
pitals of Paris — figures on which you trace the marks of 
crimes, misery, and indolence. They have a decent appear- 
ance; many of them asked the director for their enlarge- 
ment, which they obtained. 

But what resources have they, on leaving this house? 
They have their hands, answered the director, and they 
may find useful occupations. But the women, replied I, 
what can they do? Their condition is not so fortunate, 
said he. In a town Avhere so many men are occupied in 
foreign commerce, the number of unhappy and disorderly 
females will be augmented. To prevent this inconvenience, 
it has been lately proposed to form a new establishment. 



128 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

which sliall give to girls of this description a useful occu- 
pation, where the produce of the industry of each person 
shall be preserved and given to her on leaving the house; 
or, if she should choose to remain, she sliall always enjoy 
the fruit of her own labour. 

. This project will, without doubt, be executed; for the 
Quakers iue ingenious and persevering, when they have in 
view the succour of the unhappy. My friend, the author 
of this project is luy conductor. I see him beloved and 
respected, constantly occupied in useful things; and he is 
but thirty years of age! and is it astonishing that I praise 
a sect which produces such prodigies? 

On our return from the hospital, we drank a bottle of 
cider, ("ompare this frugal repast to the sumptuous feasts 
given by (he superintendents of the poor of London — by 
those humane inspectors who assemble to consult on mak- 
ing repairs to the amount of six shillings, and order a din- 
ner for six guineas. Yoii never find among the Quakers, 
these robberies upon indigence, these infamous treasons 
against beneficence. Bless thean, then, ye rich and poor; 
ye rich, because their fidelity and prudence economise 
your money ; ye poor, because their humanity watches over 
you without ceasing. 

The expences of this hospital amount to about five pence 
a day, money of Pennsylvania, for each pensioner. You 
know that the best administered hospital in Paris, amounts 
to about fourteen pence like money a day; and, what a dif- 
ference in the treatment ! 

LETTER XII 
HOSPITALS FOR LUNATICS 

This is the hospital so justly celebrated by M. de Creve- 
coeur, and which the humane Mr. Mazzei regards only as 
a curiosity scarcely worth seeing. 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKK^A 129 

The buildiug is fiue, elegant, and well kept. I was 
charmed with the oleauliuess iu the halls of the sick, as 
well as in the particular chambers. 1 observed the bust of 
Franklin in the library, and was told that this honour was 
rendered him as one of the principal founders of this in- 
stitution. The librai-y is not numerous; but it is well 
chosen. The hall on the first fioor, is appropriated to sick 
men ; there were six in it. About the same number of sick 
women were in a like hall on the second floor. These per- 
sons appeared by no means miserable; they seemed to be 
at home. I went below, to see the lunatics ; they were about 
fifteen male and female. Each one had his cell, with a 
bed, a table, and a convenient window with grates. Stoves 
are fixed in the walls, to warm the cell in winter. 

There were no mad persons among them. ^lost of the 
patients are the victims of religious melancholy, or of dis- 
appointed love. These unhappy persons are treated with 
the greatest tenderness; they are allowed to walk in the 
court ; are constantly visited by two physicians. Dr. Ruth 
has invented a kind of swing chair for their exercise. 

What a difference between this treatment and the 
atrocious regulations to which we condemn such wretches 
in France! where they are rigorously confined, and their 
disorders scarcely ever fail to increase upon thean. The 
Turks, on the contrary, nmnifest a singular respect to per- 
sons insane; they are eager to administer food to them, to 
load them with caresses. Fools in that country are never 
known to be injurious; whereas, with us, they are danger- 
ous, because they are unhappy. 

The view of these persons affected me more than that 
of the sick. The last of human miseries, in my opinion, is 
confinement ; and I cannot conceive how a sick person can 
be cured in prison, for confinement itself is a continual 
malady. The exercise of walking abroad, the view of the 



130 XEW TRAVELS IN THE 

fields, the murmur of the rivulets, and the siguiug of birds, 
with the aid of vegetable diet, appeiir to me the best means 
of curing insanity. It is true, that this method requires 
too many attendants; and the impossibility of following 
it for the hospital of Philadelphia, makes it necessary to 
recur to locks and bars. But wh^' do they place these cells 
beneath the ground-floor, exposed to the unwholesome hu- 
midity of the earth? The enlightened and humane Dr 
Kulh told me, that he had endeavoured for a long time, in 
vain, to introduce a change in this particular; and that this 
hospital was formed at a time when little attention was 
thought necessary for tlie accommodation of fools. I ob- 
served, that none of these fools were naked, or indecent; 
a thing very common with us. These people preserve, even 
in their folly, their primitive characteristic of decency. 

I could not leave this place without being tormented 
with one bitter reflection. A man of the most brilliant 
genius may here finish his days. If Swift had not been 
rich, he had dragged out his last moments in such an hos- 
pital. O ye who watch over them, be gentle in your ad- 
ministration! — perhaps a benefactor of the human race 
has fallen under your care. 

LETTER XIII 

ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

Thanks to God he still exists! This great man, for so 
many years the preceptor of the Americans, who so glori- 
ously contributed to their independence, death had threat- 
ened his days; but our fears are dissipated, and his health 
is restored. I have just been to see him, and enjoy his 
conversation, in the midst of his books, which he still calls 
his best friends. The pains of his cruel infirmity change 
not the serenity of his countenance, nor the calmness of 
his conversation. If these appeared so agreeable to our 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 131 

Frenchmen, who enjoyed his friendship in Paris, how 
would they seem to them here, where no diplomatic func- 
tions impose upon him that mask of reserve which was 
sometimes so chilling to his guests. Franklin, surround- 
ed by his family, appears to be one of those patriarchs 
whom he so well described, and whose language he has 
copied with such simple elegance. He seems one of those 
ancient philosophers, who at times descend fi'om the 
sphere of his elevated genius, to instruct weak mortals, 
by accommodating himself to their feebleness. I have 
found in America, a great number of enlightened politi- 
cians and virtuous men; but I find none who appear to 
possess, in so high a degree as Franklin, the characteris- 
tics of a real philosopher. You know him, my friend. A 
love for the human race is habitual exercise, an indefatig- 
able zeal to serve them, extensive information, simplicity 
of manners, and purit.y of morals; all these furnish not 
marks of distinction sufficiently obsei-vable between him 
and other patriot politicians, unless we add another char- 
acteristic; it is, that Franklin, in the midst of the vast 
scene in which he acted so distinguished a part, had his 
eyes fixed without ceasing on a more extensive theatre — 
on heaven and a future life ; the only point of view which 
can sustain, disinterest, and aggrandise man upon earth, 
and make him a true philosopher. All his life has been but 
a continued study and practice of philosophy. 

I wish to give you a sketch of it from some traits which 
I have been able to collect, as his history has been much 
disfigured. This sketch may serve to rectify some of those 
false anecdotes which circulate in Europe. 

Franklin was born at Boston, in 1706, the fifteenth 
child of a man who was a dyer and a soap-boiler. He 
wished to bring up this son to his own trade; but the lad 
took an invincible dislike to it, preferring even the life of 



132 NEAV TRAVELS IN THE 

a sailor. The father disliking this choice, placed him ap- 
prentice with an elder son, who was a printer, and pub- 
lished a newspaper. 

Three traits of character, displayed at that early period, 
might have given an idea of the extraordinary genius 
which he was afterwards to discover. 

The puritanic austerity which at that time predomin- 
ated in Massachusetts, impressed the mind of young Ben- 
jamin in a manner more oblique than it had done that of 
his father. The old man was in the practice of making 
long prayers and benedictions before all his meals. One 
day, at the beginning of winter, when he was salting his 
meat, and laying in his provisions for the season, "Father," 
says the boy, "it would be a great saving of time, if you 
would say grace over all these barrels of meat at once, and 
let that suffice for the winter." 

Soon after he went to live with his brother, he began to 
address pieces to him for his paper in a disguised hand- 
writing. These essays were universally admired ; his 
brother became jealous of him, and endeavored, by severe 
treatment, to cramp his genius. This obliged him soon to 
quit his service, and go to seek his fortune at New Yoi'k. 

Benjamin had read a treatise of Dr. Tryon on the 
Pythagorean regimen; and, fully convinced by its reason- 
ing, he abstained from the use of meat for a long time; 
and became irreconcilable to it, until a cod-fish, which he 
caught in the open sea, and found its stomach full of little 
fish, overturned his whole system. He concluded, that 
since the fishes eat each other, men might very well feed 
upon other animals. This Pythagoran diet was economical 
to the printer's boy ; it saved him some money to lay out 
for books; and reading was the first and constant passion 
of his life. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 133 

Haviug left bis father's house without recommendation, 
and almost without mouy, depending only upon himself, 
but always confident in his own judgment, and rejoicing in 
his independence, he became the sport of accidents, which 
served rather to prove him, than to discourage him. Wan- 
dering in the streets of Philadelphia, with only five shil- 
lings in his pocket, not known to a person in the town, 
eating a crust of bread, and quenching his thirst in the 
waters of the Delaware; who could have discerned in this 
Avretched labourer, one of the future legislators of Amer- 
ica, one of the fathers of modern philosophy, and an am- 
bassador covered with glory in the most wealthy, the most 
powerful, and the most enlightened country in the world? 
Who could have believed that France, that Europe, would 
one day erect statues to that man who had not where to 
lay bis head? 

This circumstance reminds me of a similar one of Rous- 
seau: Having for his whole fortune six liards; harrassed 
with fatigue, and tormented with hunger; he hesitated 
whether he should sacrifice this little piece to bis repose, 
or to his stomach. He decided the couflict by purchasing 
a piece of bread, and resigning himself to sleep in the open 
air. In this abandonment of nature and men, he still en- 
joyed the one, and despised the other. The Lyonnese, who 
disdained Rousseau because he was ill dressed, had died 
unknown ; while altars are now erected to the man ill- 
dressed. These examples ought to console men of genius, 
whom foi-tune may reduce to the necessity of struggling 
against want. Advei-sity but forms them, and persever- 
ance will bring its reward. 

Arriving at Philadelphia did not finish the misfor- 
tunes of Benjamin Ftanklin. He was there deceived and 
disappointed by Governor Keith, who, by fine promises for 
his future establishment, which be never realized, induced 



134 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

him to embark fur London, where he arrived without 
money and without recommendations. Happily he knew 
how to procure subsistence. His talents for the press, in 
wliich no person excelled him, soon gave liim occupation. 
His frugality, the regularity of his conduct, and the good 
sense of his couversation, procured him the esteem of his 
comrades; his reputation in this respect, existed for fifty 
years afterwards in the printing offices in London. 

An employment promised him by a Mr. Derhaou, re- 
called him to his country in 1726, when fortune put him to 
another proof. His protector died; and Franklin was 
obliged for subsistence, to have recourse again to the press. 
He found the means soon afterwards to establish a print- 
ing-press himself, and to publish a gazette. At this period 
began his good success, which never afterwards abandoned 
him. He married a Miss Read, to whom he was attached 
by a long friendship, and who merited all his esteem. She 
partook of his enlarged and beneficent ideas, and was the 
model of a virtuous wife and a good neighbour. 

Having arrived at this degi'ee of independence, Frank- 
lin had leisure to pursue his speculations for the good of 
the public. His gazette furnished him with the regular 
and constant means of instructing his fellow citzens. He 
made this gazette the principal object of his attention ; so 
that it acquired a vast reputation, and was read through 
the whole counti-y, and may be considered as having con- 
tributed much to perpetuate in Pennsylvania those excel- 
lent morals which still distinguish that State. 

I possess one of these gazettes, composed by him, and 
printed at his press. It is a precious relique, a monument 
which I wish to preserve with reverence, to teach men to 
blush at the prejudice which makes them despise the use- 
ful and important profession of the editor of daily papers. 
Men of this profession, among a free people, are their first 



UNITED STATP:S OF AMERICA 135 

preceptors, and best friends; and wlien they unite talents 
with patriotism and pliilosophy, wlieu they serve as the ca- 
nal for communicating- truths, for dissipating prejudices, 
and removing- those hati-eds which prevent the human race 
from uniting together in one great family, these men are the 
cui'ates, the missionaries, the angels deputed from heaven 
for the happiness of men. 

Let it not be sjiid, in ridicule of this profession, that 
an ill use is sometimes made of it, for the defence of vice, 
of despotism, of errors. Shall we proscribe eloquence and 
the use of speech, be(-ause wicked men possess them? 

But a work which contributed still more to diffuse in 
America the practice of frugality, economy, and good mor- 
als, was Poor Richard's Almanack. You ai'e acquainted 
with it; it had a great reputation in France, but still more 
in America. Franklin continued it for twenty-five years, 
and sold annually more than ten thousand copies. In this 
work, the most weighty truths are dcliverefl in the simplest 
language, and suited to the comprehension of all the world. 

In 173G, Franklin began his public career. He was ap- 
pointed Secretary of the General Assembly of Pennsyl- 
vania, and continued in that employment for many years. 

In 1737, the English goverament confided to him the 
administration of the general postoffice in America. He 
made it at once lucrative to the revenue, and useful to the 
inhabitants. It served him particularly, to extend evei'y- 
where his useful gazettes. 

Since that epoch, not a year has passed without liis 
proposing, and cai'rying into execution, some project use- 
ful to the colonies. 

To him are owing the companies of assurance against 
fire; companies so necessary in countries where houses are 
built with wood, and where fires completely ruin Individ- 



136 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

uals ; while, on the contrary, they are disastrous in a coun- 
trj- where fires are not frequent, and not danfreroiis. 

To him is owinsr the ostal)lishmpnt of the Philosophical 
Society at Philadelphia, its library, its university, its hos- 
pitals, etc. 

Franklin, persuaded that information could not be ex- 
tended but by first collecting it, and by assemblina: men 
who were likely to possess it, Avas always extremely ai'- 
dent to encourafje literary and political clubs. In one of 
these clubs, which he founded, the following questions were 
put to the candidate : 

"Do you love all men, of whatever religion they may 
be? Do you believe that we ought to persecute or decry a 
man for mere speculative opinions, or for his mode of wor- 
ship? Do you love truth for its own sake, and will you em- 
ploy all your efforts to discover it, and to make it known 
to others?" 

Observe, again, the spirit of this club in the questions 
put to the members at their meetings: "Know you any 
citizen who has lately been remarkable for his industry? 
Know you in what the Society can be useful to its brethren, 
and to all the human race? Is there any stranger arrived 
in town? In what can the Society be useful to him? Is 
there any young person beginning business, who wants en- 
couragement? Have you observed any defects in the new 
acts of the legislature, which can be remedied? How can 
the society be useful to you? 

The attention which he paid to these institutions of 
literature and humanity, did not divert him from his pub- 
lic functions, nor from his experiments in natural philos- 
ophy. 

His labours on these subjects are well known; I shall 
(herefore not speak of thenu, but confine myself to a fact 
which has been little remarked; it is, that Franklin always 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 137 

directed bis labours to tbat kind of public utility which, 
without procuring any great eclat to its author, produces 
great advantage to the citizens at large. It is to this popu- 
lar taste, which characterised him, that we owe the inven- 
tion of his electrical conductors, his economical stoves, his 
dissertations, truly philosophical, on the means of prevent- 
ing chimneys from smoking, on the advantages of copper 
roofs to houses, the establishment of so many papermills in 
Pennsylvania,* etc. 

The circumstances of his political career are likewise 
known to you ; I therefore pass them over in silence. But 
I ought not to omit to mention his conduct during the war 
of 1755. At that period he enjoyed a great reputation in 
the English colonies. In 1754 he was appointed one of the 
members of the famous Congress, which was held at Al- 
bany; the object of which was to take the necessary meas- 
ures to prevent the invasion of the French. He presented 
to that Congress an excellent plan of union and defence, 
which wjis adopted by that body; but it was rejected in 
London by the department for the colonies, under the pre- 
text that it was too deanocratical. It is probable that, had 
this plan been pursued, the colonies would not have been 
ravaged by the dreadful war which followed. During this 
war, Franklin performed many important functions. At 
one time he was sent to cover the frontiers, to raise troops, 
build forts, etc. You then see him contesting with the 
governor, to force him to give his consent to a bill taxing 
the family of Penn, who were proprietors of one-third 
of the lands of Pennsylvania, and refused to pay 
taxes. He than was sent deputy to London, where he was 
successful in supporting the cause of the colony in the 
Privy Council against that powerful family. 



•Doctor Franklin told me. tlint Up had established about eighteen paper 
tnlll'!. ITts erancison. Mr. T. Franklin, will (1o\ihtless publish a collet'tlon of his 
useful letters on the salutary or pernicious effects of different processes in the 
nrts. These letters are scattered in the American gazettes. The collection of 
them would be curious. 



138 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

The superior skill and management which he discovered 
in these uegociations, were the forerunners of tlie more im- 
portant success which attended him during the war of 
independence, when lie was sent ambassador to France. 

On his final return to his country, he obtained all the 
honours which his important services merited. His great 
age, and his infirmities, have compelled him at last to re- 
nounce his public career, which he has run with so much 
glory. He lives retired, with his family, in a house which 
he has built on the spot where he first landed, sixty years 
before, and where he found himself wandering without a 
home, and without acquaint.mce. In this house he has 
established a printing press and a type foundery. From 
a printer he had become ambassador ; from this he has now 
returned to his beloved press, and is forming to his pre- 
cious art his gi'and.son, Mr. Bache. He has placed him at 
the head of an enterprise which will be infinitely useful; 
it is a complete edition of all the cla.ssic authors, that is, 
of all those moral writers whose works ought to be the 
manual for men Avho wish to gain instruction, and make 
themselves happy by doing good to others. 

It is in the midst of these holy occupations, that this 
great man Avaits for death with tranquillity. You will 
judge of his philosophy on this point, which is the touch- 
stone of philosophy, by the following letter, written thirty 
years ago on the death of his brother John Franklin, ad- 
dressed to ilrs. Hubbard, his daughter-in-law. 

"My Dear Child : 

"I am grieved with you ; we have last a friend, who, to 
us, was very dear, and very precious. But it is the will of 
God and of nature, that these mortal bodies should be laid 
aside when the soul is ready to enter into real life; for this 
life is l)ut an embryo state, a preparation for life. A man 
is not completely born, until he is dead. Shall we com- 
plain, then, that a new-born has taken his place among the 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 139 

immortals? We are spirits. It is proof of tlie goodness of 
God, tliat our bodies are lent us so long as they can be 
useful to us, in receiving pleasure, in acquiring knowledge, 
or in doing good to our fellow-creatures; and he gives a 
new proof of the same goodness in delivering us from our 
bodies, when, instead of pleasure, they cause us pain ; 
when, instead of aiding others, we become chargeable to 
them. Death is then a blessing from God ; we ourselves 
often prefer a partial death to continued pain ; it is thus 
that we consent to the amputation of a limb, when it can- 
not be restored to life. On qutting our bodies, we are de- 
livered from all kinds of pain. Our friend and we are in- 
vited to a part}' of pleasure which will endure eternally : 
he has gone first; why should we regi-et it, since we are so 
soon to follow, and we know where we are to meet?" 

Appendix to the preceding chapter, written in Decem- 
ber, 1790. Franklin has enjoyed this year, the blessings of 
death, for which he waited so long a time. I will here 
repeat the reflections which I printed in my Gazette of the 
13th of June last, on this event, and on the decree of the 
National Assembly on this occasion. 

I will introduce them with the discourse of M. Mira- 
beau in that assembly : 

"Gentlemen : 

"Franklin is dead — he has returned to the bosom of 
God — the genius who has liberated America, and shed over 
Europe the torrents of his light! The sage of two worlds 
— the man for whom the histoi-y of sciences and the history 
of empires contend, should doubtless hold an elevated rank 
in the human race. 

"Too long have political cabinets been accustomed to 
notify the death of those who are great only in their funeral 
pomp; too long has the etiquette of courts proclaimed 
hypocritical mourning. Nations ought to mourn only for 
their benefactors; the representatives of nations ought to 



140 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

recommend to their homage, none but the heroes of human- 
ity- 

"The Congress has ordained a mourning of two months 
for tlie death of Franldin ; and America, at this moment, 
is rendering this tribute of veneration to one of the fathers 
of her constitution. 

"Would it not be worthy of you, gentlemen, to join 
them in this truly religious act, to participate in this hom- 
age rendered in the face of the universe to the rights of 
men, to the philosopher, who has contributed the most to 
extend their empire over the face of the eai'th? 

"Antiquity would have raised altars to that powerful 
genius, who, for the benefit of man, embracing heaven and 
earth, could have curbed the thunders of the one, and the 
tyrants of the other. Europe, enlightened and free, owes 
at least a testimony of gratitude to the greatest man that 
ever adorned philosophy and liberty. 

"I propose that it be decreed, that the National As- 
sembly go into mourning three days for Benjamin Frank- 
lin." 

The Assembly received with acclamation, and decreed 
with unanimity, the proposal of M. Mirabeau. 

The honour thus done to the memory of Franklin, wUl 
reflect glory on the National Assembly. It will give an 
idea of the immense difference between this legislature and 
other political bodies; for, how many prejudices must have 
been vanquished, before France could bring her homage to 
the tomb of a man, who, fi*om the station of a journey-man 
printer, had raised himself to the rank of legislator, and 
contributed to place his country on a footing among the 
great powers of the earth. 

This sublime decree was pronounced, not only without 
hesitation, but with that enthusiasm which is inspired by 
the name of a great man, by the regret of having lost him, 
by the duty of doing honour to his ashes, and by the hope, 
that rendering this honour may give rise to like virtues 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 141 

and like talents in others. And, oh ! may this Assembly, 
penetrated with the greatness of the homage which she has 
rendered to genius, to virtue, to the pure love of liberty and 
humanity ; ma}'' she never taimish this homage, by yielding 
to the solicitations of men who may wish to obtain the 
same honours for the names of ambitious individuals, who 
mistaking art for genius, obscure conce])tion for profound 
ideas, the desire of abasing tyrants for the love of human- 
ity, the applause of a volatile people for the veneration of 
an enlightened world, may think proper to aspire to the 
honour of a national mourning. 

This hope should doubtless inspire the man of genius, 
the man of worth; but ye who sincerely indulge the wish 
to place yourselves by the side of Franklin, examine his 
life, and have the courage to imitate him. Franklin had 
genius; but he had virtues; he was good, simple, and mod- 
est; he had not that proud asperity in dispute, which re- 
pulses with disdain the ideas of others : he listened — he 
had the art of listening — he answered to the ideas of others, 
and not to his own. 

I have seen him attending patiently to young people 
who, full of frivolity and pride, were eager to make a pa- 
rade before him, of some superficial knowledge of their 
own. He knew how to estimate them ; but he Avould not 
humiliate them, even by a parade of goodness. Placing 
himself at once on a level with them, he would answer 
without having the air of instructing them. He knew that 
instruction in its pompous apparel, was forbidding. Frank- 
lin had knowledge, but it was for the people; he was al- 
ways grieved at their ignorance, and made it his constant 
duty to enlighten them. He studied forever to lessen the 
price of books, in order to multiply them. In a word, gen- 
ius, simplicity, goodness, tolerance, indefatigable labour, 
and love for the people — these form the character of 



142 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Franklin; and these you must unite, if you wish for a 
name like his. 



LETTER XIV. 

STEAMBOAT— REFLECTIONS OX THE CHARACTER OF THE 

AMERICANS AND THE ENGLISH. 

SEPTEMBER 1, 1788. 

I breakfasted with Samuel Ameland, one of the richest 
and most beneficent of the Society of Friends. He is a 
pupil of Anthony Benezet; he .speaks of him with enthus- 
iasm, and treads in his steps. He takes an active part in 
every useful institution, and rejoices in the occasion of 
doing good ; he loves the Fl-ench nation, and speaks their 
language. He treats me with the greatest friendship; of- 
fers me his house, his horses, and his carriage. On leav- 
ing him, I went to see an experiment, near the Delaware, 
on a boat, the object of which is to ascend rivers against 
the current. The inventor was Mr. Fitch, who had found 
a company to support the expence. One of the most zeal- 
ous associates is Mr. Thornton, of whom I have spoken. 
This invention was disputed between Mr. Fitch and M. 
Rumsey, of Virginia.* However it be, the machine which 
I saw, appears well executed, and well adapted to the de- 
design. The steam engine gives motion to three large oars 
of considerable force, which were to give sixty strokes per 
minute. 

I doubt not but, physically speaking, this machine may 
produce part of the effects which are expected from it; but 



•.since writing this letter, I have Been Mr. Rumsey in England. He is a 
man of great Ingenuity ; and. by tlie explanation which he has given me. it 
appears that his discovery, though founded on a similar principle with that of 
Mr. Fitch, is very different from it, and far more simple in its execution. Mr. 
Rumsey proposed then (Feb. 1789), to build a vessel which should go to America 
by the help only of the steam engine, and without sails. It was to make the 
passage in fifteen days. I perceive with pain that be has not vet executed his 
project : which, when executed, will introduce into commerce as sreat a change 
as the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. — Author 

•The translator is Informed that M. Rumsey la pursuing his operations with 
greater vigor, and more extensive expectations, than ever. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 143 

I doubt its utility in commerce; for, notwithstanding the 
assurances of the undertakers, it must require many men 
to manage it, and much expence in repairing the damages 
occasioned by the violence and multiplicity of the friction. 
Yet I will allow, that if the movements can be simplified, 
and the expence lessened, the invention may be useful in 
a country where labour is dear, and where the borders of 
rivers are not accessible, like those in France, by horses 
to draw the boats. This idea was consoling to Dr. Thorn- 
ton, whom I saw assailed by railleries on account of the 
steamboat. These railleries appear to me very ill placed. 
The obstacles to be conquered by genius are every where 
so considerable, the encouragement so feeble, and the ne- 
cessity of supplying the want of hand-labour in America 
so evident, that I cannot, without indignation, see the 
Americans discouraging bj' their sarcasms, the generous 
efforts of one of their fellow-citizens. 

When will men be reasonable enough to encourage each 
other by their mutual aid, and increase the general stock 
of public good, by mutual mildness and benevolence? It 
is for republics to set the example : jou see more of it in 
America than elsewhere ; it is visibly taking root, and ex- 
tending itself there. You do not find among the Ameri- 
cans, that concealed pride which acquits a benefit, and dis- 
penses with gratitude; that selfish rudeness which makes 
of the English a nation by themselves, and enemies to all 
others. Y"ou will, however, find sometimes vestiges of their 
indifference for other people, and their contempt for 
strangers who travel among them. For example, a 
stranger in a society of Americans, if he has the misfor- 
tune not to speak their language, is sometimes left alone; 
no person takes notice of him. This is a breach of human- 
ity, and a neglect of their own interest; of humanity, be- 
cause consolation is due to a man distant from his friends, 



144 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

and his ordinary means of amusement; of their own in- 
terest, because strangers, disgusted with this treatment, 
hasten to quit the country, and to prejudice others against 
it. 

I say that this inattention to strangers is above all re- 
markable in the English. 1 do not think that I am de- 
ceived ; 1 have lived long among them, and am generally 
accused of too much partiality for them. This same fault 
is observable in the English islands, I have reumrked it in 
many of them ; and I fear that the vices in general of the 
inhabitants of the islands will corrupt the Americans, who 
appear to me remarkably fond of extending their connec- 
tion with them., I heard one of them put the following 
question to several Americans, at a review of the volun- 
teers of Philadelphia: "Can you tell me whether these 
brave officers are barbers or coblers?" This vulgar pleas- 
antry discovers the man of prejudice, the insolent and base 
European, the valet of a despot. Such railleries tend to 
destroy that idea of equality which is the basis of republics. 

But why do not men of sense, who are witnesses of 
these follies, refute them with vigour? Why that cow- 
ardly suppleness which is decorated with the name of 
politeness? Is it not evident that it hardens the corrupted 
man, and suffers to grow up in feeble minds, i^rejudices 
which one vigorous attack would destroy? 

LETTER XV. 

THE SOCIETY OF AGRICULTUUE — THE LIBRARY 

September 2, 1788. 
I was present at a meeting of the Agricultural Society. 
It is not of long standing, but is numerous, and possesses 
a considerable fund. If such a society ought to receive en- 
couragement in any country, it is in this. Agriculture is 
the first pillar of this State; and though you find many 



UNITED STATES OF AilEKICA 145 

good farmers here, yet tlie great mass of tliem waut iu- 
formatiou; ami this iuforiuatiou can ou]y be iirocured by 
the uniou of men well versed iu theory and practice. 

The subject of this meeting was an imi)ortant one. 
The papillion, or worm, called the Hessian Fly, had, for 
several years, ravaged the wheat in many parts of the 
United States. The King of England, fearing that this in- 
sect might pass into his island, had just prohibited the im- 
portation of the American wheat. The Supreme Execu- 
tive Council of Pennsylvania, in order to counteract the 
effects of this prohibition, by gaining information on the 
subject, applied to the Society of Agriculture; they de- 
sii'ed to know if this insect attacked the grain, and 
whether it was possible to prevent its ravages. 

Many farmers present at this meeting, from their own 
experience, and that of their neighbours and ocrrespond- 
ents, declared, that the insect deposited its eggs, not iu the 
ear, but in the stalk ; so tliat they were well convinced, 
that, on threshing the wheat, there could be notliiug to fear 
that the eggs would mix with the grain; and consequently 
they could not be communicated with the grain. 

Mr. Polwell and M. Griffiths, president and secretary 
of this society, do equal honour to it; the one by the neat- 
ness of his composition, and the elegance of his style; the 
other, by his indefatigable zeal. 

Among the useful institutions which do honour to 
Philadelphia, you distinguish the public library ; the origin 
of which is owing to the celebrated Franklin. It is sup- 
ported by subscription. The price of entrance into this 
society is ten pounds. Any person has the privilege of bor- 
rowing the books. Half of the library is generally in the 
hands of readers; and I observetl with pleasure, that the 
books were much worn by use. 

At the side of this library is a cabinet of natural his- 
tory. I observed nothing curious in it, bvit an enormous 



14G 



NEW TRAVELS IN THE 



thigb-boue, and some teeth as enormous, found near the 
Ohio, in a mass of prodigious bones, wliich nature seems 
to have thrown together in those ages whose events are cov- 
ered from the e.ve of liistory by an impenetrable veil. 



LETTER XVI. 

ON THE MARKET OF PHILAOELrHIA. 

September 3, 1788. 

If there exists, says Franklin, an Atheist in the uni- 
verse, he would be converted on seeing Philadelphia — on 
contemplating a town where every thing is so well ar- 
ranged. If an idle man should come into existence here, 
on having constantly before his eyes the three amiable sis- 
ters, Wealth, Science, and Virtue, the children of Indus- 
try aud Temperance, he woiild soou find himself in love 
with them, aud endeavour to obtain them from their par- 
ents. 

Such are the ideas offered to the mind on a market day 
at Philadelphia. It is, without contradiction, one of the 
finest in the universe. Variety aud abundance in the ar- 
ticles, order in the distribution, good faith and tranquillity 
in the trader, are all here united. One of the essential 
beauties of a market, is cleanliness iu the provisions, and 
in those who sell them. Cleanliness is conspicuous here iu 
everything; even meat, whose aspect is more or less dis- 
gusting in other markets, here strikes your eyes agree- 
ably. The spectator is not tormented with the sight of lit- 
tle streams of blood, which infect the air, and foul the 
streets. The woman who bring the produce of the country, 
are dressed with decency; their vegetables and fruits are 
neatly arranged in handsome, well-made baskets. Every- 
thing is assembled here, the produce of the country, and the 
works of industry; flesh, fish, fruits, garden-seeds, pottery, 
iron ware, siioes, travs, l)uckets extremelv well made, etc. 



UNITED 8TATE!S OF AMEIMPA 147 

The stranger is never wearied in contemplating this multi- 
tude of men and women moving and crossing in every 
direction, without tumult or injury. You would say, that 
it was a mari^et of brotliers, that it was a rendezvous of 
philosophers, of the pupils of tlie silent Phythagoras; for 
silence reigns without interi-upticui : you heai- none of those 
plei'cing cries, so common elsewhere; eacli one sells, bar- 
gains, and buys in silence. Tlie carts and hoi-ses which 
have brought in the supplies, are peaceably arranged in the 
next street, in the order in wliich the}' arrive; when dis- 
engaged, they move off in silence; no (juarrels among the 
carmen and the porters. You see none of our fools and 
macaronies gallopping with loose reias in the streets. 
These are the astonishing effects of habit ; a habit inspired 
by the (^uakei-s, who jjlanted morals in this country; a 
habit of doing every thing with tranquillity and with rea- 
son; a habit of injuring no person, and of having no need 
of the interposition of the magistrate. 

To maintain order in .such a market in France, would 
require four judges and a dozen soldiers. Here, the law 
has no need of muskets; education and morals have done 
everything. Two clerks of the police walk in the market. 
If they suspect a pound of butter of being light, they weigh 
it ; if light, it is seized for the use of the hospital. 

You see, here, the fathers of families go to market. It 
was formerly so in France : their wives succeeded to them ; 
thinking thmselves dishonoured by the task, they have 
resigned it to the servants. Neither economy nor morals 
have gained any thing by this change. 

The price of bread is from one penny to twopence the 
pound, beef and mutton from twopence to fourpence, veal 
from one penny to twopence; hay from twenty to thirty 
shillings the ton; butter from fourpence to sixpence the 
pound ; wood from seven shillings to eight shillings the 



148 NEW TltxVVELS IN THE 

cord. Vegetables me in abundance, and cheap. Wines 
of Europe, particularly those of France, are cheaper here 
than anywhere else. I have drank the wine of Provence, 
said to be made by M. Bargasse, at niuepence the bottle; 
but the taverns are extremely dear. Articles of luxury 
are expensive; a hair-dresser costs you eightpence a day, 
or twelve shillings the mouth. I hired a one-horse chaise 
three days; it cost me three louis d'ors. 

LETTEK XVII. 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANL^ — A FARM OWNED BY 
A FRENCHMAN. 

September 6, 1788. 

I had made an acquaintance at New York with General 
Miflin, wlio was then Speaker of the House of Representa- 
tives of Pennsylvania. I met him again at Philadelphia. 
His character was well drawn by M. de Chastellux. He 
is au amiable, obliging man ; full of activity, and very pop- 
ular.. He tills his place with dignity aud firmness; an 
enemy to artifice and disguise; he is frank, brave, disin- 
terested, and warmly attached to democratic principles. 
He is no longer a Quaker: luiving taken arms, he was 
forced to quit the society; but he still possesses a great 
esteem for that sect, to which his wife has always remained 
faithful. The general had the complaisance to conduct me 
one day to tlie (Jeneral Assembly. I saw nothing remark- 
able in it : the building is far from that magnificence attri- 
buted to it by tlie Abbe Raynal ; it is certainly a fine build- 
ing when compared with the other edifices of Philadelphia; 
but it cannot be put in competition with those public build- 
ings which we call fine in Europe. 

There were about fifty members present, seated on 
chairs inclosed by a ballustrade. Behiud the ballustrade, 
is the gallery for spectators. A Petit llaitre, who should 



UNTED STATES OF A3IEK1CA 149 

fall suddenly from Paris into this assembly, would un- 
doubtedly find it ridiculous. lie would scoff at the sim- 
plicity of their cl(»th coats, and, in some cases, at the negli- 
gence of their toilettes; but every man who thinks, will 
desire that his simplicity may forever remain, and be- 
come universal. They pointed out to me, under one of 
these plain coats, a farmer by the name of Findley, whose 
eloquence displays the gi-eatest talents. 

The estate of General ]\Iiflin, where we went to dine, is 
five miles from town, by the falls of the Skuylkill. These 
falls are forjued by a considerable bed of rocks: they are 
not perceivable when the water of the river is high. The 
general's house enjoys a most romantic prospect. This 
route presents the vestiges of many houses burnt by the 
English, who hnd likewise destroyed jill tlie trees, and left 
the country naked. 

I saw at General Mifliu's, an (dd (2uaker, who shook 
me by my hand witii the more pleasure, as he said he found 
in my air a resemblance of Anthony Benezet. Other 
Quakers told me the same thing. There is no great vanity 
in citing tins fact, wlien I recollect what M. de Chastellux 
says of his figure ; but he had eyes of goodness and human- 
ity- 

Springmill. whei-e I went to sleep, is a hamlet eight 
miles up the Skuylkill. The best house in it is occupied 
by Mr. L., a Frenchman. It enjoys the most sublime pros- 
pect that you can imagine. It is situated on a hill. On 
the southeast, the Skuylkill flows at its foot through a 
magnificent channel between two mountains covered with 
wood. On the banks you perceive some scattering houses 
and cultivated fields. 

The soil is here composed of a great quantity of talc, 
granit, and yellow gravel ; some places a very black earth. 
In the neighbourhood are quarries of marble of a middling 
fineness, of which man.v chimne.v-pieccs are made. 



150 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

I shall give you some details respecting this French- 
man's farm; they will shew you the manner of living 
among cultivators here, and they may be useful to any of 
our friends who may wish to establish themselves in this 
country. Observations on the manner of extending ease 
and happiness among men, are, in the eyes of the philoso- 
pher, as valuable as those which teach the art of assassinat- 
ing them. The house of Mr. L. is very well built in stone, 
two stories higii,with five or six fine chambers in each story. 
From the two gardens, formed like an amphitheatre, you 
enjoy tliat fine pi'ospect above mentioned. These gardens 
are well cultivated, and contain a great quantity of bee 
hives. 

A highway separates the house from the farm. He 
keeps about twenty horned cattle, and ten or twelve horses. 
The situation of things on this farm, proves how little is to 
be feared from theft and robbery in this country; every 
thing is left open, or inclosed without locks. His farm con^ 
sists of two hundred and fifty acres; of which the greater 
part is in wood; the rest is in wheat, Indian corn, buck- 
wheat, and meadow. He shewed me about an acre of 
meadow, from Mhich he has already taken this year eight 
tons of hay : he calculates, that, including the third cutting, 
this acre will produce him this year ten pounds. His 
other meadoAvs are less manured, and less productive. 

Mr. L. recounted to me some of his past misfortunes — 
I knew them before — he was the victim of the perfidy of an 
intendant of Guadaloupe, who, to suppress the proofs of 
his own accomplicity in a clandestine commerce, tried to 
destroy him by imprisonment, by assassination, and by 
poison. Escaped from these persecutions, Mr. L. enjoys 
safety at Springmill ; but he does not enjoy happiness. He 
is alone; and what is a farmer without his wife and family? 



UNITED STATES UE AMERICA 151 

He pars from five to six pounds taxes for all his prop- 
erty, consisting of an luindred and twenty acres of wood 
land, eiglity acres of arable, twenty-five acres of meadow, 
three acres of garden, a great house, several small iioiises 
for his servants, his barns, and his cattle. By this fact, 
you may judge of tlu» exaggerations of the detractors of the 
United States on the subject of taxes. Compare this with 
what would be i»aid in Erance for a like property. Mr. E. 
lias attempted to cultivate the vine; he has planted a vine- 
yard near his house, on a southeast exposure, and it suc- 
ceeds very well. 

It is a remark to be nmde at every step in America, that 
vegetation is rapid and strong. The peach tree, for ex- 
amjile, grows fast, and produces fruit in great (luantities. 
Within one mouth after you have c>it y(»ur wheat, you 
\\ould not know your field; it is covered with grass, very 
high, and very thick. 

It will be a long time, however, before the vine can be 
cultivated to profit in Anunica : first, because labour is 
dear, and the vine requires vast labour,* secondly because 
the wines of Europe will be for a long time cheap in 
America, ilr. L. furnished me with the proof of this. He 
gave me some very good Nousillon, which cost him, by the 
single bottle, only eight pence; and I know that this same 
wine, at first hand, cost five pence or six pence. 

We ought to regard the Ijirds as a great discourage- 
ment to the cultni-e of tlie vine in America. You often see 



*In Orleannois, the whole operation of cultivating the 
vine, and making the vintage, costs to the proprietor thirty 
livres, twenty-five shillings sterling, an acre. A man can- 
not pei'form the labour of more than five acres a year ; so 
that he gets six pounds five shillings a year, and supports 
liimself. Comjiare this Avith the price of labour in Amer- 
ica, and that with the price of French wines. 



lo-2 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

immense clouds of black birds, which, settling on a vine- 
yard, Avonld destroy it in an instant. 

I have already mentioned, that the pastures and fields 
in America are inclosed with barriers of wood, or fences. 
These, when made of rails supported by posts, as above 
described, are expensive, especially in the neighborhood 
of great towns, where wood is dear. Mr. L. thinks it best 
to replace them by ditches six feet deep, of wliich he throws 
the earth upon his meadows, and borders the sides with 
hedges; and thus renders tlie passage impracticable to the 
cattle. This is an agricultiiral operation, wliich cannot be 
too much recommended to the Americans. 

The country here is full of springs; we saw some very 
fine ones. ilr. L. told us of one which carries a mill night 
and day, and serves to water his meadows when occasion 
requires. 

I asked him where he purchased his meat. He says, 
when a farmer kills beef, mutton, or veal, he advertises his 
neighbours, who take what they choose, and he salts the 
remainder. As he is here without his family, he has no 
spinning at his house; makes no cheese, keeps no poultry. 
These parts of rural economy, which are exercised by wo- 
men, are lost to him ; and it is a considerable loss. He 
sows no oats, but feeds his horses with Indian corn and 
buckwheat, ground. I saw his vast corn fields covered with 
pumpkins, which are profitable for cattle. He has a join- 
er's shop and a turning-lathe. He makes great quanties 
of lime on his farm, which sells very well at Philadelphia. 
He has obtained leave from the State to erect a ferry on 
the Skuylkill, which he says will produce him a profit of 
forty pounds a year. He is about to build a saw-mill. 

The lands newly cleared, produce much more than the 
lands of France. He had bad wheat this year, though it 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 153 

had promised well : having growu to a i)rodigious lieight, 
the grain was shrivelled and meagre. He says, tlie mildew 
has diminislied his crop by more than tlireo hundred bush- 
els. The cause of the mildew is supposed to be this — that 
when the season advances, it is sometimes attended by 
fogs, and very heavy dews; the sun bursting through the 
fog, evaporates the drops on the stalk; and the sudden 
cliange from cold and wet, to warm and dry, enfeebles and 
withers the plant. The mildew is an evil very general in 
Pennsylvania. 

Ml'. L. told uie that there was no other remedy but to 
sow early, that the plant may be more vigorous at the sea- 
son of the mildew. 

This farm had cost him two thousand pounds; and he 
assured me, that allowing nothing for some losses occas- 
ioned hy his ignorance of the country, of the language on 
his first arrival, and for the improvements he had made, 
his land produces more than the interest of his money. He 
told me, that the house alone had cost more than he paid 
for the whole: and tliis is very probable. Persons in gen- 
eral who desire to make good bargains, ought to purchase 
lands already built upon ; for, though the buildings have 
cost much, they are counted for little in the sale. 

Though distant from society, and struggling against 
many disadvantages, he assured me that he was happy; 
and that he should not fail to be completely so, were he 
surrounded by his family, which he had left in France. 

He is attentive to the subject of meteorology; it is he 
that furnishes the meteorologic tables published every 
month in the Columbian Magazine : they are certainly the 
most exact that have appeared on this continent. He 
thinks there is no great difference between the climate here 
and that of Paris ; that here, the cold weather is more dry ; 



Jot NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

that the snow and ice remain but a short time; that there 
never passes a week withont some fair days; that there 
falls more rain here than in France, but that it rarelj' 
rains two days successively; that it provokes more to sweat 
and to heaviness; finally, that the variations are here more 
frequent and more rapid. 

The following is the result of the observations of this 
Frenchman for four years: The greatest cold in this part 
of Pennsylvania, is commonly from ten to twelve degrees 
below the freezing point of Reaumur's thermometer: the 
greatest heats are from twenty-six to twenty-eight degrees 
above: the mean term of his observations for four years, 
or the temperature, is nine degrees and six-tenths: the 
mean height of the barometer is twenty-nine inches ten 
lines and one-tentli, English measui'e: the prevailing wind 
is north northwest. In the year there are fifteen days of 
thunder, seventy-six days of rain, twelve daj's of snow, five 
days of tempest with rain; these eighty-one days of rain, 
with those of snow, give thirty-five inches of water, French 
measure. The sky is never obscured three days together. 
The country is very healthy, and extremely vegetative. 
Wheat harvest is from the 8th to the 12th of July. No 
predominant sickness lias been remarked during these four 
years. 

LETTER XVIII. 

.JOURNEY OF TWO FRENCHMKX TO THE OHIO. 

September 10, 1788. 
I have had the good fortune to meet here a Frenchman 
who is travelling in this country not in pursuit of wealth 
but to gain information. It is Mr. Saugrain, from Paris; 
he is an ardent naturalist; some circumstances first at- 
tached him to the service of the King of Spain, who sent 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 155 

him to Spanish America to make discoveries iu minerals 
and natural history. After the death of his protector, Don 
Galves, he returned to France. In 1787, lie formetl the 
project with 3Ir. Piguet, who had some knowledge iu bot- 
any, to visit Kentucky, and the Ohio. 

They arrived at Philadelphia, and passed immediately 
to Pittsburgh. There the winter overtook tliem, and the 
Ohio froze over, which rarely happens. They lodged them- 
selves a few miles from Pittsburgh, iu an open house, where 
they suffered much from the cold. The thermometer of 
Keaumer descended to thirty-two degrees, while at Phila- 
delphia it was only at sixteen. During their stay here, 
they made many experiments. Mv. Saugrain wiMghed sev- 
eral kinds of wood iu an hydrostatic balance which he car- 
ried with him. lie discovered, likewise, which species 
Avould yield the greatest quantity, and the best quality of 
potash. Mauy experiments convinced him, that the stalks 
of Indian corn yield a greater quantity than wood, in pro- 
portion to the quantity of matter. He examined the dif- 
ferent mines of the country. He found some of iron, of 
lead, of copper, and of silver. He was told of a rich iron 
mine belonging to Mr. Murray ; but he was not suffered to 
see it. 

On the opening of the spring, they descended the Ohio, 
having been joined by another Frenchman, Mr. Hague, and 
a Virginian. They landed at Muskinquam, where they saw 
General Harmer, and some people who were beginning a 
settlement there. 

At some distance below this place, they fell in with a 
party of savages. M. Piguet was killed, and M. Saugrain 
wounded and taken prisoner ; he fortunately made his es- 
cape, rejoined the Virginian, and found the means of re- 
turning to Pittsburgh, having lost his money and all his 



156 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

effects. He then returned to Philadelphia, where I have 
met him, on his way to Europe. 

He has communicated to me many observations on the 
western country. The immense valley washed by the Ohio, 
appears to him the most fertile that he has ever seen. The 
strength and rapidity of vegetation in that country are in- 
credible, the size of the trees enormous, and their variety 
infinite. The inhabitants are obliged to exhaust the first 
fatness of the land in hemp and tobacco, in order to pre- 
pare it for the production of wheat. The crops of Indian 
corn are prodigious; the cattle acquire an extraordinary 
size, and keep fat the whole year in the open fields. 

Tiie facility of producing grain, rearing cattle, making 
whisky, beer, and cyder, with a thousand other advantages, 
attract to this country great numbers of emigrants from 
other parts of America. A man in that country, works 
scarcely two hours in a day, for the support of himself 
and family ; he passes most of his time in idleness, hunting, 
or drinking. The women spin, and make cloaths for their 
husbands and families. Mr. Saugrain saw very good wool- 
lens and linens made there. They have very little money ; 
every thing is done by barter. 

The active genius if the Americans is always pushing 
them forward. Mr. Saugrain has no doubt but sooner or 
later the Spaniards will be forced to quit the Mississippi, 
and that the Americans will pass it and establish them- 
selves in Louisiana, which he has seen, and considers as one 
of the finest countries in the universe. 

Mr. Saugrain came from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in 
seven days, on horseback. He could have come in a chaise ; 
but it would have taken him a longer time. It is a post 
road, with good taverns established the whole way.* 

•Mr. Saugrain Is so enchanted wtth the Independent life of the Inhabitants of the 
western countrj-, that he returned again in the .vear 1790. to settle at Scioto. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 157 

LETTER XIX. 

ON THE SCHOOL FOE THE BLACKS AT PHILADELPHIA^ AND THE 
PRINCIPAL AMERICAN AUTHORS WHO HAVE WRIT- 
TEN IN THEIR FAVOUR. 

There exists, then, a country where the negroes are al- 
lowed to have souls, and to be endowed with uuderstand- 
ing capable of being formed to virtue and useful knowl- 
edge ; where they are not regarded as beasts of burden, in 
order that we may have the privilege of treating them as 
such. There exists a country, where the blacks, by their 
virtues and their industry, belye the calumnies which their 
tyrants elsewhere lavish against them ; where no differ- 
ence is perceived between the memory of a black head 
whose hair is craped by nature, and that of a white one 
craped by art. I have had a proof of this today. I have 
seen, heard, and examined these black children. They read 
well, repeat from memory, and calculate with rapidity. 
I have seen a picture painted by a young negro, who never 
had a master; it was surprisingly well done. 

I saw in this school, a mulatto, one-eighth negro ; it is 
impossible to distingaiish him from a white boy. His eyes 
discovered an extraordinary vivacity; and this is a general 
characteristic of people of that origin. 

The black girls, besides reading, writing, and the prin- 
ciples of religion, are taught spinning, needle-work, etc., 
and their mistresses assure me, that they discover much 
ingenuity. They have the appearance of decency, atten- 
tion, and submission. It is a nursery of good servants and 
virtuous housekeepers. How criminal are the plantere of 
the islands, who form but to debauchery and ignominy, 
creatures so capable of being fashioned to virtue ! 

It is to Benezet that humanity owes this useful es- 
tablishment—to that BENEZET whom Chastellux has not 



15S NEW THAVELS IN THE 

blushed to ridirule, for the sake of gaining the infamous 
applauses of the parasites of despotism. 

The life of this extraordinary man merits to be known 
to such men as dare to think, who esteem more the bene- 
factors of their fellow-creatures, than their oppressors, so 
basely idoli/A'd during their life. 

Anthony Benezet was born at St. (^lintin, in Picardy, 
in 1712. Fanaticism, under the protection of a bigot king, 
directed by an infamous confessor, and an infamous wo- 
man, spread at that time its ravages in France. The par- 
ents of Benezet were warm Calvinists; they fled to Eng- 
land, and he embraced the doctrines of the Quakers. He 
went to America in 1731, and estal»lished himself at Phila- 
delphia in c()mmerce, tiie business to which he had been 
educated. But the rigidity of his principles and his taste 
not agreeing with the spirit of commerce, he quitted that 
business in 17o(!, and accepted a place in the academy of 
that society. I'rom that time all his moments were con- 
secrated to public instr\iction, the relief of the poor, and 
the defence of the uidiai)py negroes. Benezet possessed a 
universjd philanthropy, which was not common at that 
time; he regarded, as his brothei*s, all men, of all coun- 
tries, and of all colours; he composed many works, in 
which he collecte<l all the authorities from scripture, and 
from other writings, to disiourage and condemn the slave 
trade and slavery. His works had much influence in deter- 
mining the Quakers to emancipate their slaves. 

It was not enough to set at liberty the unhappy blacks ; 
it was necessary to instruct them — to find them school- 
masters. And where should he find men willing to devote 
themselves to a task which prejudice had rendered pain- 
ful and disgusting? No obstacle could arrest the zeal of 
Benezet; he set the first example himself; he consecrated 
his little fortune to the foundation of this school ; his 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 159 

brcthreu lent some assistance; aud by the help of the 
donations of the society of London, the school for blacks 
at Philadelphia enjoys a revenue of 2,001 sterling. 

He consecrated his fortune aud his talents to their 
instruction; aud in 17S4, death removed him from this 
holy oceupation, to receive his rewai-d. The tears of the 
lilacks, which watered his tomb, the siglisof his fraternity, 
aud of every friend of humanity which attended his de- 
|)arting spirit, must be a prize more consoling than the 
laurels of a conqueror. 

Beuezet carried always in his pocket a copy of his 
works on the Slavery f)f the Blacks, whicli he gave and 
recommended to every one he met, who had not seen them. 
It is a method generally followed l)y the Society of Friends. 
They extend the works of utility; aud it is tlie true way of 
gaining proselytes. 

This philanthropic Quaker was preceded in the same 
career, ])\ many others, whom I ought to meutiou. The 
celebrated (ieorge Fox, founder of this sect, went from 
P^ngland to Barbadoes in the year KiTl, not to preach 
against slaveiy, but to iustruet the blacks in the knowledge 
of God, and to engage masters to treat them with mildness. 

The niiuds of men were not yet ripe for this reform; 
neither were they when William Burling, of Long Island, 
in 1718, published a treatise against slavery. He was a 
respectable Quaker: he preached, but in vain; the hour 
was not yet come. 

Ought not this circumstance to encourage the friends 
of the blacks in France? Sixty years of combat were nec- 
essary to conquer the prejudice of avarice in America. 
One year is scarcely passed since the foundation of the 
society at Paris; and some apostates already appear, be- 
cause success has uot crowned their first endeavours. 

Burling was followed by Judge Sewal, a Presbyterian 
of Massachusetts. He presented to the General Assem- 



160 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

bly, a treatise intitled Joseph sold by liis bretliren. He 
discovers tiie purest principles, aud completely overturns 
the hackneyed arguments of the traders, respecting the 
pretended wars of the African priuces. 

It is often said against the writings of the friends of 
the blacks, that they have not been witnesses of the suf- 
ferings which they describe. This reproach cannot be 
made against Benjamin Lay, an Englishman, who, brought 
up in the African trade, afterwards a planter at Barba- 
does, bandoned his plantation, on account of the horror 
inspired by the frightful terrors of slavery endured by the 
negroes- lie retired to I'hiladelphia, became a Quaker, 
and ceased not the remainder of his life to preach and 
write for the abolition of slavery. His principal treatise 
on this subject appeared in 1737. He was thought to have 
too much zeal, and to have exaggerated in his descriptions. 
But these defects were expiated by a life without a stain, 
by an indefatigable zeal for humanity, and by profound 
meditations. Lay was simple in his dress, and animated 
in his speech ; he was all on fire when he spoke on slav- 
ery. He died in 1760, in the eightieth year of his age. 

One of the men most distinguished in this career of 
humanity, was a Quaker named John Woolman. He was 
born in 1720. Early formed to meditation, he was judged 
by the Friends worthy of being a minister at the age of 
twenty-two. He travelled much to extend the doctrines 
of the sect; but was always on foot, and without money 
or provisions, because he would imitate the apostles, and 
be in a situation to be more useful to the poor people and 
to the blacks. He abhorred slavery so much, that he would 
not taste any food that was produced by the labour of 
slaves. The last discourse that he pronounced, was on this 
subject. In 1772, he undertook a voyage to England, to 
concert measures with the I^riends tliere, on the same sub- 
ject; where he died with the small-pox. He left several use- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IGl 

fill works, one of wliicli lias been tlir()n<:;Ii many editions, in- 
titled Considerations on the Slavery of the Blacks. 

I thought it my duty, my friend, to give you some ac- 
count of these holy personages, hefort; describing to you 
the situation of the blacks in this immense country. 

LETTER XX. 

THE MEANS USED TO ABOLISH THE SLAVE TUAUE^ AND SLAVERY 
IN THE UNITED STATES. 

Woolman and Benezet had in vain employed all their 
efforts to effect the abolition of this (raflic under the Eng- 
lish government. The mistaken interest of the mother 
country caused all the petitions to b(; rejected in the year 
1772; yet the minds of men were prepared in some of the 
colonies; and scarcely was independence declaimed, when 
a general cry arose against this comnuu-ce. It appeared 
absurd for men defending tlieir own liberty, to deny lib- 
erty to others. A pahmplet was printed, in which tlie 
principles on which slavery is founded, were held u[t in 
contrast with those which laid tlu' foundation of the new 
constitution. 

This palpable method of stating the subject, was at- 
tended with a happy success; and the Congress, in 1774, 
declared the slavery of the Blacks to be incom])atible with 
the basis of republican governments. Dil'ferent legisla- 
tures hastened to consecrate this principle of Congress. 

Three distinct epochs mark the conduct of the Ameri- 
cans in this business — the prohibition C)f the imiK)rtatiou 
of slaves — their manumission — and tiie provision made for 
their instruction. All the different States are not equally 
advanced in these three objects. 

In the Northern and Middle States, they have pro- 
scribed for ever the importation of slaves; in others, this 
prohibition is limite<] to a certain lime. In South Caro- 

11 



1G2 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

lina, where it was limited to three years, it has lately bel 
extended to three yeai's more. Georgia is the only Stat' 
that continues to receive transported slaves. Yet, wLi 
General Oglethorpe laid the foundation of this colony, If: 
ordained, that neither rum nor slaves should ever be ini 
ported into it. This law, in both its articles, was ver.' 
soon violated. 

We must acknowledge, however, that the Amerieaw 
more than any other people, are convinced that all mei 
ai'e born free and equal ; we must acknowlege, that the, 
direct themselves generally by this principle of equality 
tliat tlie Quakers, who have begun, who have propagatw: 
and who still propagate this revolution of sentiment, hav 
been guided by a principle of religion, and that they hav 
sacrificed to it their personal interest. 

Unhappily their opinion on this subject has not yet b( 
come universal: interest still combats it with some sm'j 
cess in the southern States. A numerous party still arga'j 
the impossibility of cultivating their soil without the hand 
of slaves, and tlie impossibility of augmenting their num 
ber witliout recruiting them in Africa. It is to the in 
fluence of this party, in the late general convention, tha 
is to be attributed the only article which tarnishes tha 
glorious monument of liuman reason, tlie new federal svs 
tem of the United States. It was this party that proposa 
to bind the hands of the new Congress, and to put it ou' 
of their power for twenty years to prohibit the imports 
tion of slaves. It Avas said to this August assembly, "Sigi 
this article, or we will withdraw from the Union." Ti 
avoid the evils, which, without meliorating the fate of th' 
blacks, would attend a political schism, the convention wa 
forced to wander from the grand principle of universa 
liberty, and the preceding declaration of Congress. The; 
thought it their dutv to imitate Solon, to make, not thi 



UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA 1G3 

best law possible, but the best that circumstances would 
bear. 

But, though this ai'ticle has surprised the friends of 
liberty in Europe, where the secret causes of it were uot 
l^nown ; though it has grieved the society in England, who 
are ready to accuse the new legislators of a cowardly de- 
fection from their own principles; yet we may regard the 
general and irrevocable proscription of the slave trade in 
the United States, as very near at hand. This conclusion 
results from the nature of things, and even from the article 
itself of the new constitution now cited. Indeed, nine 
States have already done it; the Blacks, which there 
abound, are considered as free. There are tlien nine asy- 
lums for those to escape to from Georgia; not to speak of 
the neighbourhood of the Floridas, where the slaves from 
Georgia take refuge, in hopes to find better treatment 
from the Spaniards; and not to speak of those vast forests 
and inaccessible mountains which make part of the South- 
ern States, and where the persecuted negro may easily 
find a retreat from slavery. The communications with the 
back country are so easy, that it is impossible to stop the 
fugitives ; and the expence of reclaiming is disproportioned 
to their value. And though the free States do not in ap- 
pearance oppose these reclamations, yet the people there 
hold slavery in such horror, that the master who runs after 
his human property, meets little respect, and finds little 
assistance. Thus the possibility of flight creates a new 
discouragement to the importation, as It must lessen the 
value of the slave, induce to a milder treatment, and finally 
tend, with the concurrence of other circumstances, to con- 
vince the Georgian planter, that it is more simple, more 
reasonable, and less expensive, to cultivate by the hands 
of freemen. We are right then in saying, that the nature 
of things in America is against the importation of slaves. 



164 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Besides, the Congress Tvill be authorised in twenty 
years to pronounce definitely on this article. By that 
time, the sentiments of humanity, and the calculations of 
reason, will prevail ; they will no longer be forced to sacri- 
fice equity to convenience, or have any thing to fear from 
opposition or schism. 

LETTER XXI. 

LAVi'S OF THE DIFFERENT STATES FOR THE MANUMISSION OF 

SLAVES. 

Slavery, my friend, has never polluted every part of 
the United States. There was never any law in New 
Hampshire, or Massachusetts, which authorised it. When, 
therefore, those States proscribed it, they only declared 
the law as it existed before. There was very little of it in 
Connecticut; the puritanic austerity which predominated 
in that colony, could scarcely reconcile itself with slavery. 
Agriculture was better performed there by the hands of 
free men ; and every thing concurred to engage the people 
to give liberty to the slaves — so that almost every one has 
freed them : and the children such as are not yet free, are 
to have their liberty at twenty-five years of age. 

The ease of the Blacks in New York is nearly the same; 
yet the slaves there are more numerous. 

It is because the basis of the population there is Dutch ; 
that is to say, people less disposed than any other to part 
with their property. But liberty is assured there to all 
the children of the slaves, at a certain age. 

The State of Rhode Island formerly made a great 
business of the slave trade. It is now totally and for ever 
prohibited. 

In New Jersey the bulk of the population is Dutch. 
You find there, traces of that same Dutch spirit which I 
have described. Yet the western parts of the State are 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 165 

disposed to free their negroes ; but the eastern part are op- 
posed to it. 

It is probable that their obstinacy will be overcome ; at 
least it is the opinion of the respectable Mr. Livingston, 
celebrated for the part he has acted in the late revolution; 
he has declared this opinion in a letter written to the so- 
ciety at Philadelphia. He has himself freed all his slaves, 
which are very numerous. He is one of the most ardent 
apostles of humanity; and, knowing the character of his 
countrymen, he reasons, temporises with their interest, 
and doubts not of being able to vanquish their prejudices. 
The Quakers have been more fortunate in Pennsylvania. 
In the year 175S, they voted, in their genei'al meeting, to 
excommunicate every member of the society who should 
persist in keeping slaves. In 1780, at their request, sec- 
onded by a great number of persons from other sects, the 
General Assembly abolished slavery for ever, forced the 
owners of slaves to cause them to be enregisti'ed, declared 
their children free at the age of twenty-eight years, placed 
them, while under that age, on a footing of hired sei"vants, 
assured to them the benefit of trial by jury, etc. But this 
act did not provide against all the abuses that avarice 
could afterwards invent. It was illuded in many points. 
A foreign commerce of slaves was carried on by specula- 
tors; and some barbarous masters sold their Blacks, to be 
carried into foreign countries; others sent the negro chil- 
dren into neighbouring States, that they might there be 
sold, and deprived of the benefit of the law of Pennsyl- 
vania, when they should come of age; others sent their 
black pregnant women into another State, that the off- 
spring might be slaves; and others stole free negroes, and 
carried them to the islands for sale. The society, shocked 
at these abuses, applied again to the Assembly, who passed 
a new act in March last, effectually to prevent them. It 



166 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

ordained, that no black could be sent into a neighbour- 
ing State without his consent; confiscated all vessels and 
cargoes employed in the slave trade; condemned to the 
public works the stealers of negroes, etc. 

Doubtless we cannot bestow too much praise on the in- 
defagitable zeal of the society in Pennsylvania, Avhich soli- 
cited these laws, nor on the spirit of equity and humanity 
displayed by the legislature in passing them; but some 
regret must mingle itself with our applause. Why did not 
this respectable body go farther? Why did it not extend 
at least the hopes of freedom to those who wei'e slaves at 
the time of the passing the first act? They are a property, 
it is said ; and all property is sacred. But what is a prop- 
erty founded on robbery and plunder? What is a property 
which violates laws human and divine? But let this prop- 
erty merit some regard. Why not limit it to a certain 
number of years, in order to give at least the cheap con- 
solation of hope? Why not grant to the slave, the right of 
purchasing his freedom? What! the child of the negro 
slave shall one day enjoy his liberty; and the unhappy 
father, though ready to leap with joy on beholding the for- 
tune of his son, must roll back his eyes with aggravated, 
anguish on his own irrevocable bondage! The son has 
never felt, like him, the torture of being torn from his 
country, from his family, from all that is dear to man ; the 
son has not experienced that severity of treatment so com- 
mon in this country before this revolution of sentiment; 
yet the son is favoured, and the father consigned to de- 
spair. But this injustice cannot long sully the law of a 
country where reason and humanity prevail. We may 
hope that a capitulation will be made with avarice; by 
which these slaves shall be drawn from its hands. 

Again — Why, in the act of March, 1780, is it declared 
that a slave cannot be a witness against a freeman? You 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1G7 

either suppose liiin less true tlian the freeman, or you 
suppose liim differently orfranizd. The last supposition is 
absurd; the other, if true, is against yourselves; for, why 
are they less conscientious, more corrupted, and more 
wicked? — it is because they are slaves. The crime falls 
nn the head of the master ; and the slave is thus degraded 
and punished for the vice of the master. 

Finally, why do you ordain that the master shall be 
reimbursed from the public treasury, the price of the slave 
who may suffer death for crimes? If, as is easy to prove, 
the crimes of slaves are almost univei-sally the fruit of 
their slavery, and are in proportion to the severity of their 
treatment, is it not absurd to recompense the master for 
his tyranny? When we recollect that these masters have 
hitherto been accustomed to consider their slaves as a 
species of cattle, and that the laws make the master re- 
sponsible for the damages done by bis cattle, does it not 
appear contradictory to reverse the law relative to these 
black cattle, when they do a mischief, for which society 
thinks it necessary to extirpate them? In this case, the 
real author of the crime, instead of paying damages, re- 
I lives a reward. 

No, my friend, we will not doubt but these stains will 
soon disappear from the code of Pennsylvania. Reason is 
too predominant to suffer them long to continue. 

The little State of Delaware has followed the example 
of Pennsylvania. It is mostly peopled by Quakers — in- 
stances of giving freedom ai'e therefore numerous. In this 
State, famous for the wisdom of its laws, for its good faith 
and federal patriotism, resides that angel of peace, War- 
ner Mitlin. Like Benezet, he occupies liis time in extend- 
ing the opinions of his society relative to the freedom of the 
Blacks, and the care of providing for their existence and 
their instruction. It is in part to his zeal that is owing 



168 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

the formation of a society in that State, after the model 
of the one at Philadelphia, for the abolition of slavery. 

With the State of Delaware finishes the system of pro- 
tection of the Blacks. Yet there are some negroes freed in 
Maryland, because there are some Quakers there ; and you 
perceive it very readily, on comparing the fields of tobacco 
or of Indian corn belonging to these people, with those of 
others ; you see how much superior the hand of a free man 
is to that of a slave, in the operations of industry. 

When you run over Mai-yland and Virginia, you con- 
ceive yourself in a different world ; and you are convinced 
of it ; when you converse with the inhabitants. They speak 
not hei'e of projects for freeing the negroes; they praise 
not the societies of London and America; they read not 
the works of Clarkson — No, the indolent masters behold 
with uneasiness, the efforts that are making to render free- 
dom universal. The Virginians are persuaded of the im- 
possibility of cultivating tobacco without slavery; they 
fear that if the Blacks become free, they will cause trouble ; 
on rendering them free, they know not what rank to assign 
them in society; whether they shall establish them in a 
separate district, or send them out of the country. These 
are the objections which you will hear I'epeated every 
where against the idea of freeing them. 

The strongest objection lies in the character, the man- 
ners and habits of the Virginians. They seem to enjoy the 
sweat of slaves. They are fond of hunting; they love the 
display of luxury, and disdain the idea of labour. This 
order of things will change when slavery shall be no more. 
It is not, that the work of a slave is more profitable than 
that of a free man; but it is in multiplying the slaves, con- 
demning them to a miserable nourishment, in depriving 
them of cloaths, and in running over a large quantity of 
land with a negligent culture, that they supply the nec- 
essity of honest industry. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 169 

LETTER XXII. 

ON THE GENERAL STATP], MANNERS, AND CHARACTER OF THE 
BLACKS IN THE UNITED STATES. 

The free Blacks in the eastern States, are either hired 
sen'ants, or they keep little shops, or they cultivate the 
land. You will see some of them on board of coasting 
vessels. They dare not venture themselves on long voy- 
ages, for fear of being transported and sold in the islands. 
As to their physical character, the Blacks are vigorous, of 
a strong constitution,* capable of the most painful laliour, 
and generally active. As servants, they are sober and 
faithful. Those who keep shops, live moderately, and 
never augument their affairs beyond a certain point. 

The reason is obvious; the Whites, though they treat 
them with humanity, like not to give them credit to en- 
able them to undertake any extensive commerce, nor even 
to give them the means of a common education, by re- 
ceiving them into their counting-houses. If, then, the 
Blacks are confined to the retails of trade, let us not ac- 
cuse their capacity, but the prejudices of the Whites, which 
lay obstacles in their way. 

The same cause hiuders the Blacks who live in the coun- 
try, from having large plantations. Their little fields are 
generally well cultivated; their log-houses, full of chil- 
dren decently clad, attract the eye of the philosopher, who 
rejoices to see, that, in these habitations, no tears attest 
the rod of tyranny. 

In this section the Blacks are indeed happy; but let 
us have the courage to avow, that neither this happiness, 
nor their talents, have yet attained their perfection. There 
exists still too great an interval between them and the 
whites, especially in the public opinion. This humiliating 

•The raBrrlfd Blacks make at Ipast aj many ehildrpn as the Whites: but 
it la observerl. that more of them die. This is owine less to nature, than to 
thfi want of fortune, and of the care of physicians and surseons. 



170 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

difference prevents those efforts which they might make 
to raise themselves. Black children are admitted to the 
public schools; but you never see them within the walls 
of a college. Though free, they are always accustomed to 
consider themselves as beneath the Whites. 

We may conclude from this, that it is unfair to measure 
the extent of their capacity by the examples already given 
by the free Blacks of the north. 

But when Ave compare them to the slaves of the South, 
what difference we find! — In the south, the Blacks are in 
a state of abjection difficult to describe ; many of them are 
naked, ill fed, lodged in miserable huts on straw. They 
receive no education, no instruction in any kind of reli- 
gion; they are not married, but coupled. Thus are they 
brutalized, lazy, without ideas, and without energy. They 
give themselves no trouble to procure cloaths, or to have 
better food; they pass their Sunday, which is their day of 
rest, in total inaction. Inaction is their supreme happi- 
ness; they therefore perform little labour, and that in a 
careless manner. 

We must do justice to the truth. The Americans of 
the southern States treat their slaves with mildness ; it is 
one of the effects of the general extension of the ideas of 
liberty. The slave labours less ; but this is all the altera- 
tion made in his circumstances, and he is not the better 
for it, either in his nourishment, his clothing, his morals, 
or his ideas. So that the master loses ; but the slave does 
not gain. If they would follow the example of the North- 
ern States, both Whites and Blacks would be gainers by 
the change. 

AYhen we describe the slaves of the South, we ought 
to distinguish those that are employtnl as house-servants, 
from those that work and live in the field. The picture 
that I have given belongs to the latter; the former are 
better clad, more active, and less ignorant. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 171 

It has been generally thouglit, and even written by some 
authors of note, that the Blacks are inferior to the Whites 
in mental capacity. This opinion begins to disappear ; the 
Northern States furnish examples to the contrary. I shall 
cite two, which are striking ones ; the first proves, that, by 
instruction, a Black may be rendered capable of any of the 
professions: the second, that the head of a negro may be 
organized for the most astonishing calculations, and con- 
sequently for all the sciences. 

I saw at Philadelphia a black physician, named James 
Derham. The following history of him was attested to 
me by many physicians : 

He was brought up a slave in a family of Philadelphia, 
where he learned to read and write, and was instructed in 
the principles of religion. When young, he was sold to 
Doctor John Kearsley, Junior, who employed him in com- 
pounding medicines, and in administering tliem in some 
cases to the sick. At the death of Doctor Kearsley he 
passed through different hands, and came to be the prop- 
erty of George West, surgeon of the British army, under 
whom, during the war in America, he performed the lower 
functions in physic. 

At the close of the war, he was purchased by Doctor 
Robert Dove, of New Orleans, who employed him as his as- 
sistant. He gained the doctor's good opinion and friendship 
to such a degree that he soon gave him his freedom on mod- 
erate conditions. Derham was, by this time, so well instruct- 
ed, that he immediately began to practice, with success, at 
New Orleans ; he is about twenty-six years of age, married, 
but has no children. His practice brings him three thous- 
and livres a year. Doctor Wistar told me that he con- 
versed with him particularly on the acute diseases of the 
country where he lives, and found him well versed in the 
simple methods now in practice of treating those diseases. 



172 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

I thought, said the doctor, to have indicated to him some 
new remedies ; but he indicated new ones to me. 

He is modest, and has engaging manners; he speaks 
French with facility, and has some knowledge of Spanish. 

The other instance has been cited by Doctor Ruth, a 
celebrated physician and writer of Philadelphia. It is 
Thomas Fuller, born in Africa, a slave, near seventy years 
of age, near Alexandria. He can neither read nor write, 
and has had no instruction of any kind ; but he calculates 
with surprising facility, and will answer any qestion in 
arithmetic, with a promptitude that has no example. 

These instances prove, without doubt, that the capacity 
of the negroes may be extended to any thing; that they 
have only need of instruction and liberty. The difference 
between those who are free and instructed, and those who 
are not, is still more visible in their industry. The lands 
inhabited by the Whites and free Blacks, are better cul- 
tivated, produce more abundantly, and offer every where 
the image of ease and happiness. Such, for example, is the 
aspect of Connecticut, and of Pennsylvania. 

Pass into Maryland and Virginia, and, as I said before, 
you are in another world — you find not there those culti- 
vated plains, those neat country-houses, barns well distri- 
buted, and numerous herds of cattle, fat and vigorous. 
No : every thing in Maryland and Virginia wears the print 
of slavery: a starved soil, bad cultivation, houses falling 
to ruin, cattle small and few, and black walking skele- 
tons ; in a word, you see real misery, and apparent luxury, 
insulting each other. 

They begin to perceive, even in the southern States, 
that, to nourish a slave ill, is a mistaken economy; and 
that money employed in their purchase, does not render 
its interest. It is perhaps more owing to this considera- 
tion than to humanity, that you see free labour introduced 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 173 

in a part of Virginia, in that part bordered by the beauti- 
ful river Shenadore. In travelling here, you will think 
yourself in Pennsylvania. 

Such will be the face of all Virginia, when slavery 
shall be at an end. They think slaves necessary only for 
the cultivation of tobacco : this culture declines, and must 
decline in Virginia. The tobacco of the Ohio and the 
Mississippi is more abundant, of a better quality, and re- 
quires less labor. When this tobacco shall open its way 
to Europe, the Virginians will be obliged to cease from 
this culture, and ask of the earth, wheat, corn, and po- 
tatoes; they will make meadows, and rear cattle. The 
wise Virginians anticipate this revolution, and begin the 
culture of wheat. At their head may be reckoned that as- 
tonishing man, who, though an adored general, had the 
courage to be a sincere repul)lican ; who alone seems ignor- 
ant of his own glory ; whose singular destiny it will be to 
have twice saved his country, to have opened to her the 
I'oad to prosperity, after having conducted her to liberty. 
At pi'esent, wholly occupied in ameliorating his lands, in 
varying their produce, in opening roads and canals, he 
gives his countrymen an useful example, which doubtless 
will be followed. 

He has nevertheless (must I say it) a numerous crowd 
of slaves; but they are treated with the greatest humanity; 
well fed, well clothed, and kept to moderate labour; they 
bless God without ceasing, for having given them so good 
a master. It is a task worthy of a soul so elevated, so 
pure, and so disinterested, to begin the revolution in Vir- 
ginia, to prepare the way for the emancipation of the 
negroes. This great man declared to me, that he rejoiced 
at what was doing in other States on this subject ; that he 
sincerely desired the extension of it in his own country: 
but he did not dissemble, that there were still many ob- 



1 



174 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

stacles to be overcome ; that it was dangerous to strike ta 
vigorously at a prejudice which had begun to diminsh 
that time, patience, and information, would not fail to van 
quisli it. Almost all the Virginians, added he, believe tha 
the liberty of the Blacks cannot soon become general. Tlii 
is the reason why they wish not to form a society, whicl 
may give dangerous ideas to their slaves. There is anothe 
obstacle — the great plantations of which the State is coin 
posed, render it necessary for men to live so dispersed, tha 
frequent meetings of a society would be difficult. 

I replied, that the Virginians were in an erroi', tha 
evidently- sooner or later the negroes would obtain thei 
liberty every where. It is then for the interst of youi 
country-men to prepare the way to such a revolution, h] 
endeavouring to reconcile the resitution of the rights o: 
the Blacks with the interest of the Whites. The meani 
necessai'y to be taken to this effect, can only be the Avorl 
of a society; and it is worthy the saviour of Ameiica t{ 
put himself at their head, and to open the door of libert] 
to three hundred thousand unhappy beings of his owr 
State. He told me, that he desired the formation of a so 
ciety, and that he would second it ; but that he did noi 
think the moment favourable — doubtless more elevated 
views absorbed his attention, and filled his soul. The des 
tiny of America was just ready to be placed a second tinMJ 
in his hands.* 

It is certainly a misfortune that such a society does nol 
exist in Virginia and Maryland ; for it is to the persevering 
zeal of those of Philadelphia and New York, that we owe 
the progress of this revolution in America, and the forma- 
tion of the society in London. 

Why am I unable to paint to you the impressions I re- 
ceived in attending the meetings of these different socie- 

De Warville hero of course refers to AVashington. — Publisher. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 175 

ties? What serenity in the countenances of the members! 
What simplicity in their discourses, candour in their dis- 
cussions, beueticence and energy in their decisions ! Each 
seemed eager to speak, not to sliew his brilliance, but to 
be useful. 

W'ith what joy they learned that a like society was 
formed at Paris, in that capital so renowned for its opul- 
ence and luxury, for its influence over a vast kingdom, and 
through most of the States of Europe! They hastened to 
l)ublish it in all the gazettes, as likewise the translation of 
the tirst discourse pronounced in that society. They saw 
with joy, in the li.st of the members, the name of La Fay- 
ette, and that of other persons known for their energy and 
patriotism. 

They did not doubt, if this society should brave the 
lirst obstacles that attend it, and should unite itself with 
that of London, but that the information which they might 
give on the slave trade, and its unprofitable infamy, would 
enlighten the governments of Europe, and determine them 
to suppress it. 

It is doubtless to this effusion of joy, and to the flatter- 
ing recommendations which I carried from Europe, rather 
than to my feeble efforts, that I owe the honor of being re- 
ceived a member of these socities. They did not confine 
themselves to this ; they appointed committees to assist me 
in my labours, and their archives were opened to me. 

These beneficent societies are at present contemplating 
new projects for the completion of their work of justice 
and humanity. They are endeavouring to form similar in- 
stitutions in other States, and they have succeeded in the 
State of Delaware. The business of these societies is not 
only to extend light and information to legislatures, and 
to the people at large,* on the objects they have in view. 



•In 1787, the Society of New York offered a gold medal for the best dis- 
course, at the public commencement at the colleRe, on the Injustice and cruelty 
of the slave trade, and the fatal effects of slavery. 



176 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and to form the Blacks by early instruction in the duties 
of citizens; but they extend gratuitous protection to them 
in all cases of individual oppression, and make it their 
duty to watch over the execution of the laws which have 
been obtained in their favour. IMr. Myers Fisher, one of 
the first lawyers of Philadelphia, is always ready to lend 
his assistance, which he generally does with success, and 
always without reward. These societies have committees 
in different parts of the country, to take notice of any in- 
fractions of these laws of liberty, and to propose to the 
legislature such amendments as experience may require. 

Appendix to the preceding letter, written in 1791. 

My wishes have not been disappointed. The progress 
of these societies is rapid in the United States ; there is one 
already formed even in Virginia;* even there, men have 
dared to publish that truth which has so often made avar- 
ice to tremble — that truth which formerly would have 
been stifled in a Bastille: God has created men of all na- 
tions, of all languages, of all colours, equally free : Slavery 
in all its forms, in all its degrees, is a violation of the di- 
vine laws, and a degradation of human nature. 

Believe it, my dear friend, these truths conveyed in 
all the public papers, will complete the extirpation of that 
odius slavery, which the nature of things in that country 
is destroying with great rapidity. For you may well imag- 
ine, that, in the rage of emigration to the western terri- 
tory* the negroes find it easy to fly from slavery, and that 
they are well received wherever they go. 

The solemn examples given by great men, will contrib- 
ute much to this revolution in principle. What propri- 
etor of human beings does not blush for himself, on see- 
ing the celebrated General Gates assemble his numerous 

•A similar society Is lately formed in the State of Connecticut, probably not 
known to M. de WarvlUe. — Translator. 

•In all the constitutions of the new States forming In the western territory, 
it is declared, that there ahall b« neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 177 

slaves, and, in the midst of tlieir caresses and tears of 
gi-atitude, restore them all to liberty ; and in such a manner 
as to prevent any fatal consequences that might result to 
them from the sudden enjoyment of so great a benefit? 

The society of Philadelphia, which may be regarded as 
the father of these holy institutions, has lately taken more 
effectual measures, both to instruct the Blacks, and to 
form them to different employments. 

"The wretch," say they, in their address to the public, 
"who has long been treated as a beast of burthen, is often 
degraded so far as to appear of a species inferior to that 
of other men; the chains which bind his body, curb like- 
wise his intellectual faculties, and enfeeble the social af- 
fections of his heai't."' 

To instruct and counsel those who are free, and render 
them capable of enjoying civil liberty; to excite them to 
industry; to furnish them with occupations suitable to 
their age, sex, talents, and other circumstances; and to 
procure to their children an education suitable to their 
station, are the principal objects of this society. 

For this end they have apiiointed four committees : 
First, a committee of inspection, to watch over the morals 
and general conduct of the free Blacks; second, a com- 
mittee of guardians, whose business it is to place the chil- 
dren with honest tradesmen and others, to acquire trades ; 
third, a committee of education, to oversee the schools; 
fourth, a committee of employ, who find employment for 
those who are in a situation to work. What friend of 
humanity does not leap with joy at the view of an object 
so pious and sublime? AYho does not perceive it is dictated 
l)y that spirit of perseverance, which animates men of 
dignity, habituated to good actions, not from ostentation, 
but from a consciousness of duty? Such are the men who 
compose these American societies. They wUl never aban- 

13 



178 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

don this good work, until they have carried it to its last 
degree of perfection; that is to say, until, by gentle and 
equitable means, they shall have placed the Blacks in every 
respect on a footing with the Whites. Yet these are the 
celestial societies which infamous avarice blushes not to 
calumniate. 

The perseverance with which these societies have ex- 
tended their principles in their writings, brought forward 
last year, a debate in Congress, on the subject of procuring 
a revocation of that article in the constiution, which sus- 
pends the power of Congi-ess for twenty years on the sub- 
ject of the slave trade. 

I ought to have mentioned to you, in my letter, an elo- 
quent address to the general convention of 1787, from the 
society of Pennsylvania. I will cite to you the close of it: 

"We conjure you," say they, "by the attributes of the 
divinity, insulted by this inhuman traffic; by the union of 
all the human race in our common fathei*, and by all the 
obligations resulting from this union; by the fear of the 
just vengeance of God in national judgments; by the cer- 
tainty of the great and terrible day of the distribution of 
rewards and punishments; by the efficacy of the prayers 
of good men, who would insult the Majesty of Heaven, if 
they were to offer them in favour of our country, as long 
as the iniquity we now practice continues its ravages 
among us ; by the sacred name of Christians ; by the pleas- 
ures of domestic connections, and the anguish of their dis- 
solution; by the sufferings of our American brethren, 
groaning in captivity at Algiers, which Providence seems 
to have ordained to awaken us to a sentiment of the in- 
justice and cruelty of which we are guUty towards the 
wretched Africans ; by the respect due to consistency in the 
principles and conduct of true republicans ; by our great 
and intense desire of extending happiness to the millions 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 179 

of intelligent beings who are doubtless one day to people 
this immense continent; finally, by all other considerations, 
which religion, reason, policy, and humanity can suggest; 
we conjure the convention of the United States, to make 
the suppi-ession of the slave trade a subject of serious de- 
liberation." 

Addresses from all parts of the United States, signed 
by the most respectable men, have been presented to the 
new Congi'ess. Never was a subject more warmly debated ; 
and, what never happened before in America, it gave oc- 
casion to the most atrocious invectives from the adver- 
saries of humanity. You will not doubt that these adver- 
saries were the deputies from the South. I except, how- 
ever, the virtuous Maddisou, and especially Mr. Vining, 
brother of that respectable woman so unjustly outraged 
by Mr. Chastellux. He defended, with a real eloquence, the 
cause of the Blacks. 

I must not forget to name among the advocates of hu- 
manity. Mess. Scott, Gerry, and Boiulinot. You will be 
astonished to find among their adversaries the first de- 
nunciator of the Cincinnati, Mr. Burke; he who unfolded, 
with so much energy, the fatal consequences of the inequal- 
ity which this order would introduce among the citizens; 
and the same man could support the much more horrible 
inequality established between the whites and blacks. You 
will be still more astonished to learn, that he uniformly 
employed the language of invective. This is the weapon 
that the partizans of slavery always use in America, in 
England, and in France. 

One of the most ardent petitioners to Congress in thLs 
cause, was the respectable Warner Miflin. His zeal was 
rewarded with atrocious calumnies, which he always an- 
swered with mildness, forgiveness, and argument. 



180 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

LETTER XXIII 

ON EEPLACING THE SUGAR OF THE CANE BV 
THE SUGAR OF MAPLE 

On this continent, my friend, so polluted and tormented 
with slavery, Providence has placed two powerful and in- 
fallible means of destroying this evil. The means ai'e, the 
societies of which we have been speaking, and the sugar- 
maple. 

Of all the vegetables containing sugar, this maple, 
after the sugar-cane, contains the greatest quantity. It 
grows naturally in the United States, and may be propa- 
gated with great facility. All America seems covered with 
it, from Canada to Virginia; it becomes more rare at the 
southward, on the east of the mountains; but it is found 
in abundance in the back country. 

Such is the beneficient tree which has, for a long time, 
recompensed the happy colonists, whose position deprived 
tliem of the delicate sugar of our islands. 

They liave till lately contented themselves with be- 
stowing very little labour on the manufacture, only bring- 
ing it to a state of common coarse sugar; but since the 
Quakers have discerned in this production, the means of 
destroying slavery, they have felt the necessity of carry- 
ing it to perfection; and success has crowned their en- 
deavours. 

You know, my friend, all the difficulties attending the 
cultivation of the cane. It is a tender plant ; it has many 
enemies, and requires constant care and labour to defend 
it from numerous accidents; add to these, the painful ef- 
forts that the preparation and manufacture costs to the 
wretched Africans; and, on comparing these to the ad- 
vantages of the maple, you will be convinced, by a new ar- 
gument, that much pains are often taken to commit un- 
profitable crimes. The maple is produced by nature ; the 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 181 

sap to be extracted, requires no preparatory labour; it 
runs in February and March, a season unsuitable for other 
rural operations. Each tree, without injury to itself, gives 
twelve or fifteen gallons, which will produce at least five 
pounds of sugar. A man aided by four children, may 
easily, during four weeks running of the sap, make fifteen 
hundred pounds of sugar.* 

Advantages, like these, have not failed to excite the at- 
tention of the friends of humanity; so that, besides the 
societies formed for the abolition of slavei*y, another is 
formed, whose express object is to perfect this valuable 
production. 

Mr. Drinkerf of Philadelphia, made, last year, sixty 
barrels of maple sugar on his estate on the Delaware ; and 
he has published a pamphlet on the best method of pro- 
ceeding in this manufacture. 

Edward Pennington, of Philadelphia, formerly a re- 
finer in the West Indies, has declared this sugar equal to 
that of the islands, in grain, colour, and taste. 

The cultivators in the State of New York perceive, 
in an equal degree, the advantages of this production ; they 
have made, this year, a great quantity of sugar, and 
brought it to great perfection. 

Whenever there shall fonn from North to South a 
firm coalition, an ardent emulation to multiply the pro- 
duce of this divine tree, and especially when it shall be 

•M. Lantlipnas. one of thp most enlightened defenders of the Blacks in 
Franre. has made some ealrulatinns on this subject, which cannot be too often 
repeated. Supposing, says lie, that a family will produce in a season 1.500 Ihs, 
of sugar. Sn.oon families will produce, and that with very little trouble, a quan- 
tity equal to what Is exported from St. Domingo in the most plentiful year, which 
is reckoned at one hundred and twenty millions. This supposes twenty millions 
of trees, rendering five pounds each, estimating the acre of the I'nited States at 
.'{S.-iTe square feet of France : and supposing the trees planted at seven feet 
distance, about ."?<). 000 acres appropriated to this use, would suffice for the 
above quantity of sugar, 

tSome of the following facts took place in IT.SO and 1790. as my friends 
have written me from Philadelphia. I thought proper to insert them In this 
letter, to which they belong. 



182 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

deemed an impiety to destroy it,* not only America may 
supply herself, but she may fill the markets of Europe with 
ji sugar, the low price of which will ruin the sale of that 
of the islands — a produce washed with the tears and the 
blood of slaves. 

What an astonishing effect it would produce, to natur- 
alize this tree through all Europe! In France, we might 
plant them at twenty feet distance, in a kind of orchard, 
which would at the same time produce pasture, fruits, and 
other vegetables. In this manner an acre would contain 
140 trees, which, even when young, would produce three 
pounds of sugar a year. This would give 420 pounds the 
acre, which, at threepence sterling the pound, and deduct- 
ing one-half for the labour, would yield annually 52s. 6d. 
sterling, clear profit; besides other productions, which 
these trees would not impede. This calculation might be 
reasonably carried much higher; but I chose to keep it as 
low as possible.* 

Thus we should obtain a profitable production in Eu- 
rope, and diminish so many strokes of the whip, which our 
luxury draws upon the Blacks. Why is it, in our capital, 
where the delicacy of sentiment is sometimes equal to that 
of sensation, no societies are formed, whose object should 
be to sweeten their coffee with a sugar not ettnbittered by 
tlie idea of the excessive tears, cruelties, and crimes, with- 
oTit which these productions have not been hitherto pro- 

•A farmer h.-js published that no less than three millions of the maple trees 
are destroyed annually in clearing the lands in the single State of New York. 
It is certainly worthy the care of every legislature in the Union, to prevent the 
destruction of so useful a tree, which seems to have been planted by the band 
of heaven, for the consolation of man, 

♦The author ought to have carried the idea further. The sugar maple for 
fuel is equal to the best oak; for cabinet work, and many similar uses, it is 
superior to most of the species of wood used in Europe ; as a tree of ornament 
and pleasure, it is at least equal to the elm or poplar. How many million of 
young trees, for the above uses, are planted every year in all parts of Kurope, to 
renew and perpetuate the forests, the public walks, the public and private gar- 
dens and parks, to border the great roads, etc. : for all these purposes the sugar 
maple might be planted, and the juice to be drawn from it might be reckoned 
a clear profit to the world. The experiment of M. Xoallles, in his garden at 
St. Germains, proves that this American tree would succeed well in Europe. — 
Translator. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 183 

cured — an idea which cannot fail to present itself to the 
imagination of every humane and enlightened man. Our 
devotees, our ignorant and inhuman priests, who never 
fail to be great lovers of coffee and sugar, would, by these 
means, be saved from the horrible part which they take in 
the most enormous crime on which the sun ever slione. In 
consuming these articles, do they not encourage those 
whose guilt is more direct in the operation of producing 
them, and yet, with what coldness, with what culpable 
indifference, do these pious men look upon our Society of 
the Friends of the Blacks! 

LETTER XXIV 

ox A PLAN FOR THE RE-EMIGSATIOX OF THE BLACKS OF THE 
UNITED STATES TO AFRICA 

I have already, my friend, given you a sketch of the 
ideas of Dr. Thornton on this sul)ject. This ardent friend 
of the Blacks is persuaded, that we cannot hope to see a 
sincere union between them and the Whites, as long as 
they differ so much in colour, and in their rights as citi- 
zens. He attributes to no other cause, the apathy per- 
ceivable, in many Blacks, even in Massachusetts, where 
they are free. Deprived of the hope of electing or being 
elected representatives, or of rising to any places of honour 
and trust, the Negroes seem condemned to drag out their 
days in a state of servility, or to languish in the shops of 
retail. The Whites reproach them with a want of cleanli- 
ness, indolence, and inattention. But how can they be 
indu.strious and active, while an insurmountable barrier 
separates them from other citizens? 

Even on admitting them to all the rights of citizens, I 
know not if it would be possible to effect a lasting and sin- 
cere union ; we are -so strongly inclined to love our like- 
ness, that there would be unceasing suspicions, jealousies. 



184 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and partialities, between the Whites and Blacks. We must 
then recur to the project of Mr. Thornton — a project first 
iinaf;inpd by that great apostle of philanthropy, Doctor 
Fothergill — a i)roject executed by the Society of London, 
or rather by the beneficient Grenville Sharp — a project 
for restoring the Negroes to their country, to establish 
them there, and encourage them in the cultivation of cof- 
fee, sugar, cotton, etc., to carry ou manufacture, and to 
open a commerce with Europe. Mr. Thornton has occu- 
pied himself witli tliis consoling idea. He proposed him- 
self to be the conductor of the American Negi'oes who 
should repair to Africa. He proposed to unite them to 
the new colony at Sierra-Leoua. He had sent, at his own 
expence, into Africa, a well-instructed man, who had spent 
several years in observing the productions of the country, 
the manufactures most suitable to it, the place most con- 
venient, and the measures necessary to be taken to secure 
the colony from insults, and everything was prepared. 
He had communicated his plan to some members of the 
Legislature of Massachusetts, who did not at fir.st relish 
it. They liked better to give lauds to their Negroes, and 
encourage them in the cultivation. But, says the Doctor, 
what can they do with their land, unaccustomed to war, 
and surrounded by savages? Supposing them to succeed, 
will 3'ou admit their representatives to sit in your Assem- 
blies, to preside over you? No. Restore them then to their 
native country. 

The Doctor was persuaded, that when his design should 
be known, thousands of the Negroes would follow him. He 
had remarked, as well as I, the injustice of reproaching 
tliem with the spirit of idleness. If they are lazy, says he, 
why so much expence to go and steal them from their 
country for the sake of their labour? 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 185 

His reasoning begins to convince men of reflection, and 
his plan gives a solution to the problem of Mr. Jefferson. 
See Notes on Virginia. 

The State of Massachustets has since received a re- 
quest from the Negroes, for the execution of the project. 
They have promised to give aid to it, as soon as they shall 
be assured of a situation in Africa proiwr for a good es- 
tablishment; they have even promised to furnish vessels, 
instruments, provisions, etc. 

What advantage would result to Africa, to Europe, 
and even to America, from the execution of this plan! 
For the Blacks of Africa would gradually civilize by the 
assistance of those from America ; and the Whites, whom 
they ought to execrate, would never mingle with them. 
By this civilization, Europe would open a vast market to 
her manufacturers, and obtain, at a cheap rate, and with- 
out the effusion of blood, those productions which cost 
her at the islands so much money and so many ci"imes. 
Ciod grant that this idea may soon be realized.* 

A Society is formetl in England, whose object is to 
follow the establishment of Sierra Leona, and open a trade 
there for the productions of the country. This settlement 
is on land belonging to the English, and dependent on the 
English Government. 

Another society is formed, whose object is partly the 
same, but who wish to render this establishment independ- 
ent of every European Government. They have lately 
published their plan, under the following title : Plan of a 
free Community on the Coast of Africa, formed under the 
protection of Great Britain, but entirely independent of 
all European Government and Laws; with an invitation, 

•To perceive the advnnt^tges. read the work entitled. *'L*Amiral refute par lui- 
meme," and see the efforts made in England, to establish colonies in Africa, and to 
civilize the Blacks. 



186 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

under certain conditions, to those who may desire to par- 
take of the advantages of this undertaking. 

In this plan, of which every friend to humanity must 
wish the success, it is declared, that the Society is founded 
on the principle of universal philanthropy, and not simply 
for the necessities of commerce — advantages too much 
prized; ai? is the happiness of all the human race con- 
sisted in the aquisition of wealth. 

LETTER XXV 

ON PHIL.\DELPHIA, ITS BUILDINGS, 
POLICE^ ETC. 

In considering the vices which tarnish Old Europe, and 
the mild fraternity that unites the Quakers, Voltaire some- 
times flew off in imagination beyond the seas, and longed 
to go and finish his days in the City of Brothers. What 
Avould he have said, had he been able to have realizetl his 
dream, and to have been a witness of the peace which 
rigns in this town? I am Avrong; Voltaire would have has- 
tened to return to Europe; he burned with the love of 
glorj'; he lived upon incense, and he would have received 
but little here. The gravity of the Quakers would have 
appeai'ed to him a gloomy pedantry, he would have yawn- 
ed in their assemblies, and been mortified to see his epi- 
grams pass without applause; he Avould have sighed for 
the spai'kling wit of his amiable sops of Paris. 

Philadelphia may be considered as the metropolis of the 
United States. It is certainly the finest town, and the best 
built; it is the most wealthy, though not the most luxuri- 
ous. You find here more men of information, more politi- 
cal and literary knowledge, and more learned societies. 
Many towns in America are more ancient; but Philadel- 
phia has surpassed her elders. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 187 

The Swedes were first established on the spot where 
this town has since been built. The Swedish church on tiie 
banks of the Delawai"e is more than one hundred years old. 
It is the oldest church in the town, at present under the 
care of Dr. Collins, a Swe<lish minister of great learning 
and merit. He writes very well in English, and has com- 
posed many works in that language; among which is the 
Foreign Spectator, in which he unfolds the soundest prin- 
ciples of republican policy. He is a fervent apostle of 
liberty. 

Penn brought into his new colony a government truly 
fraternal. Brothers who live together, have no need of 
soldiers, nor forts, nor police, nor tlmt fonnidable appara- 
tus which makes of European towns garrisons of war. 

At ten o'clock in the evening all is tranquil in the 
.streets; the profound silence which reigns there, is only 
inteiTupted by the voice of the watchmen, who are in 
small numlters, and who form the only patrole. The 
streets are lighted by lamps, placed like those of London. 

On the side of the streets are footways of brick, and 
gutters constructed of brick or wood. Strong posts are 
]ilacod to prevent carriages from passing on the footways. 
All the streets are furnished with ])ublic pumps, in great 
numbers. At the door of each house ai'e placed two 
benches, Avhere the family sit at evening to take the fresh 
air, and amuse themselves in looking at the passengers. It 
is certainly a bad custom, as the evening air is unhealthful, 
and the exercise is not sufficient to correct this evil, for 
they never walk here; they supply the want of walking, 
by riding out into the country. They have few coaches at 
Philadelpliia. You see many handsome waggons, which 
are used to carry the family into the country ; they are a 
kind of long carriage, light and open, and may contain 
twelve persons. They have many chairs and sulkeys, ojien 



188 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

on all sides; the former may carry two persons, the latter 
only one. 

The horses used in these carriages are neither hand- 
some nor strong ; but they travel very well. I have not yet 
met vdth those fine horses of which M. de Crevecoeur 
speaks, and which I thought were equal to the enormous 
breed of Flanders. I suspect the Americans of not taking 
suflBcient care of their horses, and of nourishing them ill ; 
they give them no straw in the stable; on returning from 
long and fatiguing courees, they are sent to pasture. 

Philadelphia is built on a regular plan ; long and large 
streets cross each other at right angles; this regularity, 
which is a real ornament, is at first embarrassing to a 
stranger; he has much difficulty in finding himself, es- 
pecially as the streets are not inscribed and the doors not 
numbered. It Ls strange that the Quakers, who are so fond 
of order, have not adopted these two conveniences; that 
they have not borrowed them from the English, of whom 
they have borrowed so many things. This double defect 
is a torment to strangers. The shops, which adorn the 
principal streets, are remarkable for their neatness. 

The State-house, where the Legislature assembles, is a 
handsome building; by its side they are buUding a magnifi- 
cent house of justice. 

Mr. Raynal has exaggerated everything; the buildings 
the library, the streets ; he speaks of streets 100 feet wide ; 
there is none of this width, except Market-street ; they are 
generally from 50 to 60 feet uide. He speaks of wharfs of 
200 feet; there is none such here; the wharfs in general 
are small and niggardly. He says they have everywhere 
followed the plan laid down by Mr. Penn in building their 
houses. They have violated it in building Water-street, 
where he had projected elegant wharfs. Eaynal speaks 
likewise of houses covered with slate, and of marble monu- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 189 

ments in the churches, and in the halls of the State-house. 
I have seen nothing of all this. 

Behind the State-house is a public garden ; it is the only 
one that exists in Philadelphia. It is not large; but it is 
agreeable, and one may breathe in it. It is composed of a 
number of verdant squares, intersected by alleys. 

All the space from Front-street on the Delaware to 
Front-street on the Skuylkill, is already distributed into 
squares for streets and houses, they build here ; but not so 
briskly as at New York. The inhabitants wLsh for the 
aggrandizement of their city; they are wrong; Philadel- 
phia is already too considerable. When towns acquire 
this degree of population, you must have hospitals, prisons, 
soldiers, police, spies, and all the sweeping train of luxury; 
that luxury which Penn wished to avoid. It already ap- 
pears ; they have carpets, elegant carpets ; it is a favourite 
taste with the Americans; they receive it from the inter- 
ested avarice of their old masters, the English. 

A carpet in sum'mer is an absurdity; yet they spread 
them in this season, and from vanity; this vanity excuses 
itself by saying that the carpet is an ornament; that is to 
say, they sacrifice reason and utility to show. 

The Quakers have likewise carpets; but the rigorous 
ones blame this practice. They mentioned to me an in- 
stance of a Quaker from Carolina, who, going to dine 
with one of the most opulent at Philadelphia, was offended 
at finding the passage from the door to the staircase cover- 
ed with a carpet, and would not enter the house; he said 
that he never dined in a house where there was luxury; 
and that it was better to clothe the poor, than to clothe 
the earth. 

If this man justly censured the prodigality of carpets, 
how much more severely ought he to censure the women 
of Philadelphia? I speak not here of the Quaker-women; 



190 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

I refer my observations on them to the chai)ter which I 
reserve for that society. But the women of the other sects 
wear hats and caps almost as varied as those of Pai'is. 
They bestow immense expenses on their toilet and head- 
dress, and display pretensions too affected to be pleasing. 
It is a great misfortune that, in republics, women should 
sacrifice so much time to trifles ; and that men should like- 
wise hold this taste in some estimation. 

A vei7 ingenious woman in this town is reproached 
with having contributed more than all others to introduce 
this taste for luxuiy. I really regret to see her husband, 
who api^ears to be well informed, and of an amiable char- 
acter, affect, in his buildings and furniture, a pomp which 
ought forever to have been a stranger to Philadelphia; 
and why? to draw around him the gaudy prigs and para- 
sites of Europe. And what does he gain by it? Jealousy; 
the reproach of his fellow-citizens, and the ridicule of 
strangers. When a man enjoys pecuniary advantages, and 
at the same time possesses genius, knowledge, reflection, 
and the love of doing good, how easy it is to make himself 
beloved and esteemed, by employing his fortune, and per- 
haps increasing it, in enterprises useful to the public ! 

Notwithstanding tlie fatal effects that might be ex- 
pected here fi-om luxiu-y, we may say with truth, that 
there is no town where morals are more respected. Adul- 
tery is not known here; there is no instance of a wife, of 
any sect, who has failed in her duty. 

This, I am told, is owing to what may be called the civil 
state of women. They marry without dower; they bring to 
their husbands only the furniture of their houses; and they 
wait the death of their parents, before they come to the 
possession of their property. 

I have been informed, however, of a Mrs. Livingston, 
daughter of Doctor Shippen, who lives separated from her 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 191 

busbaud. Tbis separation was made by mutual agree- 
ment. Tbis young women married Mr. Livingston only in 
obedience to tbe fatber; obedience of tbis kind is very rare 
in this country. Tbe fatlier promised to take ber again, 
if sbe sbould not be pleased witb her busband; slie was 
not pleased witb bim; tbe fatber received ber, and sbe 
lives at present virtuous and respected. 

You would not bave so good an idea of tbe morals of 
tbis country, if you were to read a satire lately published, 
intitled Tbe Times. Tbe author is Mr. Markoe. He dis- 
covers a remarkable talent for poetry ; a talent similar to 
that of our satyrist Guibert, who lately died in an hospital ; 
but, like bim, be paints witb two high colours; and, like 
all poets, be often substitutes fable for truth. Mr. Markoe 
inspires tbe less confideuce, ;is be dishonours bis writings 
by an intemperate life. A satyrist, to be believed, and to 
be useful, ought to exhibit the most exceptionable morals. 

Tbe celebrated Paine, author of Common Sense, so 
much venerated by the French, is most cruelly treated in 
this satire. This is not the fii'st that has been published 
against bim ; I bave seen another, very severe, by an in- 
habitant of North-Carolina. 

Mr. Paine has enjo^yed great success here; it is not 
therefore suprising, that satires sbould be written against 
him. Whatever may be the cause of it, it cannot be denied, 
that his writings had a great effect on the American revo- 
lution ; and tbis circumstance ought to place him in tbe 
rank of the benefactors of America. 

I bave seen another author at Philadelphia, who has 
imagination and wit; it is Mr. Crawford, He has published 
several poems; as likewise Observations on the Slavery of 
the Negroes, full of good sense and humanity. He has 
published an address of tbe famous George Fox to the 
Jews. Mr. Crawford has a turn for mystical ideas; this, 



192 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

aided by great application to study, and an inflammable 
imagination, has led him to turns of insanity. He was 
formerly a deist, and has been converted by the celebratwl 
Doctor Jebb. 

There is no town in the continent where there is so 
much printing done as at Philadelphia. Gazettes and book- 
stores ai-e numerous in the town, and paper mills in the 
State. 

Among the printers and booksellers of this town, I re- 
marked Mr. Cai-ey, an Irish printer, who, for having pub- 
lished, in his journal of The Volunteers of Ireland, an 
article which wounded some people in place, particularly 
Mr. Foster, was persecuted, and obliged to fly to America. 
Being destitute of money, M. de la Fayette gave him as- 
sistance, and enabled hiin to establish a press, on con- 
dition tliat this act of generosity should remain a secret. 
Mr. Carey kept his word ; but, having a public quarrel two 
years afterwards with another \n-mte^, Mr. Oswald, who 
quarrels with all the world, and who called in question the 
origin of Mr. Carey's fortune, he was obliged to reveal the 
secret. 

This printer, who unites great industry with great in- 
formation publishes a monthly collection, called The 
American Museum, which is equal to the best periodical 
puhlic-ations in Europe. It contains everything the most 
important that America produces in the arts, in the sci- 
ences, and in politics. The part that concerns agriculture, 
is attended to with great care. 

There ai-e at present very few French merchants at 
Philadelphia. The failure of those who first came, dis- 
couraged others, and has put the Americans on their 
guard. I have endeavoured to discover the cause of these 
failures; and have found that the greater part of these 
French merchants had either begun with little property, 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 193 

or had made imprudent purchases, or given themselves 
up to extravagent expeiices. Most of them were ignorant 
of the language, customs, and laws of the country ; most 
of them were seduced by the high price which they received 
for their goods, in paper-money ; imagining that this paper 
would soon rise to par, they amassed as much as possible 
of it, calculating on enormous profits; and thus fed the 
hopes of their correspondents in Europe. These hopes 
were disappointed. Some knowledge of business, of men, 
of politics, of revolutions, and of the counti"y, would have 
taught them, that many years must elapse before the pub- 
lic debt could be paid. It become necessary to break the 
illusion, to sell this paper at a loss, in order to meet their 
engagements. But they had set up their equipages; they 
were in the habit of great expences, which they thought it 
necessary to continue for fear of losing their credit, for 
they measured Pliiladelphia on the scale of Paris. They 
foolishly imagine<l, that reasonable and enlightened men 
would suffer themselves, like slaves, to be duped by the 
glitter of parade; their profits ceased, their expenses mul- 
tiplied, and the moment of bankruptcy arrived; they must 
justify themselves in the eyes of their correspondents, and 
of France; they accused the Americans of dishonesty, of 
perfidy, and of rascality. These cahininiators ought to 
have accused their own ignorance, their folly, and their 
extravagant luxury. 

Some Frenchmen paraded themselves here publicly 
witli their mistresses, who displayed those light and wan- 
ton airs which thej had jjracticed at Paris.* You may 
judge of the offence which this indecent spectacle would 
give in a country where women are so reserved, and where 
the manners are so pure. Contempt was the consequence ; 

•One of these gentlemen had the Impudence to present In some of the best 
families his mistress, not as his wife, but as his partner in trade. This woman 
wa8 afterwards publicly Itept by the ambassador. He had not respect enough 
tor the morals of the country, to Induce him to conceal his turpitude. 

IS 



194 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

waut of credit followed the couteuipt; aud what is a luer- 
ehant without credit? 

8iuce the peace, the Quakers have returned to their 
commerce with great activity. The capitals which dif!i- 
deuce had for a long time locked ui> in their coffers, are 
now drawn out to give a spring to industry, and encourage 
commercial speculations. The Delawai'e sees floating the 
Hags of all nations; and enterprises are there formed for 
all parts of the world. .Manufactories are rising in tlie 
town and in the country; and indu.stry and emulation iu- 
ci-ease with great rapidity. Notwithstanding the astonish- 
ing growth of Baltimore, which has drawn part of the com- 
mci-ce from I'hiladelphia, yet the energy of the ancient 
capitals of this town, the universal estimation in which 
the Quaker-merchants ai-e held, and the augmentation of 
agriculture and population, supply this deficiency. 

You will now be ahle to judge of the causes of tlie pros- 
perity of this town. Its situation on a river navigable for 
the greatest ships, renders it one of the principal places of 
foreign commerce, and at the same time the great magazine 
of all the productions of the fertile lands of Pennsylvania, 
aud of those of some of the neighbouring States. The vast 
rivers, which by their numerous branches communicate 
to all parts of the State, give a value of the lands, and at- 
tract inhabitants. The clinmte, less cold than that of the 
Northei'u States, and less warm than that of the South, 
forms another very considerable attraction. 

But I firndy believe that it is not simply to those physi- 
cal advantages that Pennsylvania owes her prosperity. It 
is to the manners of the inhabitants; it is to the uuiver.sal 
tolerance which reigned there from the beginning; it is 
to the simplicity, economy, industry, and perseverance of 
the (Quakers, which, centering in two points, agriculture 
aud commerce, have carried them to a greater perfection 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 195 

than they have attained among other sects. The cabin 
of a simple cultivator gives birth to more children than 
a gilded palace; and less of them perish in infancy. 

And since the table of population of a country appears 
to you always tlie most exact measure of its prosperity, 
couipai'e, at four ditferent epochs, the number of iidiabi- 
tants paying capitation in Pennsylvania. 

17G0 1770 1779 1786 

31,6G7 39,765 45,683 66,925 

You see that population has more than doubled in 
twenty-five years, notwithstanding the horrible depopula- 
tion of a war of eight years. Observe in this stating, that 
the Blacks are not included, which form about one-fifth of 
the population of the State. Observe, that by the calcula- 
tion of the general convention in 1787, the number of 
Whites in this State was carried to 360,000; whieli sup- 
poses, very nearly, a wife and four children for every tax- 
able head. 

The public spirit which the Quakers uiauifest in evei-y- 
thing, has given rise to several useful institutions in Phila- 
delphia, Avhich I have not yet mentioned. One of them 
is the Dispensary, which distributes medicines gratis to 
the sick who are not in a situation to purchase them. 

See how easy and cheap it is to do good. Let those men 
blush, then, who dissipate their fortunes in luxury and in 
idleness! One thovisand six hundred and forty-seven per- 
sons were treated by this establishment during the year 
1787. By calculation thLs treatment cost to the establish- 
ment five shillings and nine pence for each patient. Thus, 
for two hundred pounds sterling, sixteen hundred and for- 
ty-seven persons are rendered happy. 

To this public spirit, so ingenious in varying its bene- 
fits, is owing the Benevolent Institution, whose object it 



196 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

is to succour, in their own houses, poor women in child- 
bed. 

Another society has for its object to alleviate the situa- 
tion, of prisoners. 

The Philadelphians confine not their attention to their 
brethren; they extend it to strangers; they have formed a 
society for the assistence of emigrants who arrive from 
Germany. A similar one is formed at New York, called the 
Hibernian Society, for the succour of emigrants fi"om Ire- 
land. These societies inform themselves, on the arrival 
of a ship, of the situation of the emigrants, and procure 
their immediate employ. 

Here is a company for insurance against fire. The 
houses are constructed of wood and brick, and consequent- 
ly exposed to the ravages of fire. The insurers are the in- 
sured, a method which prevents the abuses to which your 
company at Paris is exposed. 

In the midst of all these things which excite my ad- 
miration and my tender regard, one trait of injustice gives 
me much pain, because it seems to tarnish the glory of 
Pennsylvania. Penn left to his family an immense proper- 
ty here. In the last war his descendants took part with 
the English government, and retired to England. The 
legislature of Pennsylvania passed a law, taking from them 
all their lands and their rents, and voted to give them for 
the whole, one hundred and fifty thousand pounds. This 
sum was to have been paid in paper-money, which suffered 
then a considerable depreciation. The first term only has 
been paid. 

It cannot be denied, that there was a great injustice 
in the estimation, in the mode of payment, and in the delay. 
The State of Pennsylvania has too much respect for prop- 
erty, and too much attachment to justice, not to repair its 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 197 

wrongs one day to the family of Penn, which subsists at 
present only at the expence of the English nation. 

LETTER XXVI 
PROGRESS OF CULTIVATION IN PENNSYLVANIA 

Hitherto, my friend, we have spoken only of farms al- 
ready in good culture, and in the neighbourhood of towns. 
We must now peneti'ate farther, descend into the midst of 
the wUderness, and observe the man, detached from society, 
with his axe in his hand, felling the venerable oak, that 
had been respected by the savage, and supplying its place 
with the humble spire of corn. We must follow this man 
in his progress, observe the changes that his cabin under- 
goes, when it becomes the center of twenty other cabins 
which rise successively round it. An American farmer 
has communicated to me the principal traits of the rural 
picture which I am going to lay before you. The first 
planter,* or he who begins a settlement in the woods, is 
generally a man who has lost his fortune and his credit in 
the cultivated part of the state. He emigrates in the month 
of April. His first work is to build a little cabin for him- 
self and family ; the roof is of rough hewn wood, the floor 
of earth. It is lighted by the door, or sometimes by a little 
window with oiled paper. A more wretched building ad- 
joining it gives shelter to a cow and two miserable horses. 
This done, he attacks the trees that surround his cabin. 
To extirpate them by the root, would require too much 
labour. He contents himself by cutting them at two or 
three feet from the ground. The space thus cleared is then 
plowed, and planted with Indian corn. The soil, being 



•As the translator recollects to have reen this fanciful description many 
tlraea puhlished in America, he was less anxious in re-translating it. to flatter 
the original author, b.v retaining: all his ideas, than he was to save the credit 
of M. de Warville. bv ahrideln? the piece. Crediilit.v is indeed a less fault in a 
traveller than preiudice : but it oueht. however, to be corrected. Accounts like 
this put one in mind of r>octor Franklin's romance of Mary Baker, so relieiously 
believed and copied by the Abbe Raynal. in his History of the Two Indies. 



198 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

new, requires little culture; in the month of October it 
yields a harvest of forty or fifty bushels the acre. Even 
from the month of September, this corn furnishes a plenti- 
ful and agreeable nourishment to his family. Hunting and 
fishing, with a little grain, suffice, during the winter, for 
the subsistence of his family ; while the cow and horses of 
our planter feed on the poor wild grass, or the buds of 
trees. During the fir.st year, he sutfers much from cold 
and hunger; but he endures it without repining. Being 
near the savages, lie adopts their manners; his fatigue is 
violent, but it is suspended by long intervals of repose; 
his pleasures consist in fishing and hunting ; he loves spir- 
itous liquors; he eats, drinks, and sleeps in the room of 
his little cabin. 

Thus roll away the first three years of our planter in 
laziness, independeuce, the variation of pleasure, and of 
labour. But population augments in his neighbourhood, 
and then his troubles begin. His cattle could before run 
at large; but now his neighbours force him to retain them 
within his little farm. Formerly the wild beasts gave sub- 
sistence to his family ; they now fly a country which begins 
to be peopled by men, and consequently by enemies. An 
increasing society brings regulations, taxes, and the pa- 
rade of laws ; and nothing is so terrible to our independent 
planter as all these shackles. He will not consent to sacri- 
fice a single natural right for all the benefits of govern- 
ment; he abandons then his little establishment, and goes 
to seek a second retreat in the wilderness, wliere he can 
recommerce liis labours, and prepare a farm for cultiva- 
tion. Such are the charms of independence, that many 
men liave begun tlie clearing of farms four times in differ- 
ent pai'ts of this State. 

It hi)s been remarked, that the preaching of the Gospel 
always drives off men of this class. And it is not sui*- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 19t) 

prising if we consider how much its precepts are oppos<nl 
to tlie licentiousness of their manner of life. But the la- 
bour bestowed by the first planter gives some value to the 
farm, which now comes to be occupied by a man of the 
second class of planters. lie begius by adding to his cabin 
a house. A saw-mill in the ueiglibouring settlement, fur- 
nishes liim with boards. His liouse is covered with sliiu- 
gles, and is two stories high. He makes a little meadow, 
plants an orcliard of two or three hundred apple-trees. 
His stable is enlarged ; he builds a spacious barn of wood, 
and covers it with rye-straw. Instead of planting only 
Indian corn, he cultivates wheat and rye; the iiist is des- 
tined to make whisky. But this planter umuages ill; his 
fields are badly plowed, never manured, and give but small 
crops. His cattle break through his fences, destroy his 
crops, and often cut off the hopes of the year. His horses 
are ill fed, and feeble; his cattle often die with hunger in 
the spring; his house and his farm give equal proofs of the 
want of industry; the glass of his windows has given place 
to old hats and rags. This man is fond of company; he 
drinks to excess; passes much of his time in disputing 
about politics. Thus lie contracts debts, and is forced, 
aftei' some years, to sell his jjlantation to a planter of 
the third and last class. 

This is ordinarily a man of property, and of a culti- 
vated mind. His first object is to convert into meadow all 
his land, on which he can conduct water. He then builds 
a barn of stone, sometimes a hundred feet in length, and 
forty in breadtli. This defends his cattle from cold, and 
they eat less when kept warm, than when exposed to the 
frost. To spare the consumption of fuel, he makes use of 
economical stoves, and by this he saves immense labour 
in cutting and carting wood. He multi]»lies the objects 
of culture; besides corn, wheat, and rye, he cultivates oats 



200 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and buck-wheat. Near his house he forms a garden of one 
or two acres, which gives him quantities of cabbage, pota- 
toes, and turnips. Near the spring which furnishes him 
with water, he builds a dairy-house. He augments the 
number, and inipi-oves the quality of his fruit-trees. His 
sons are always at work by his side; his wife and daughters 
quit their wheels for the labours of the hai-vest. The last 
object of industry is to build a house for his own use. This 
building is generally of stone; it is vast, well distributed, 
and well furnished. His horses and cattle, by their good 
appearance, their strength, and fecundity, prove that they 
are well fed, and well attended. His table abounds with 
delicate and various dishes. His kitchen flows with milk 
and honey. The ordinary drink of his family is beer, cyder, 
and wdne; his wife and daughters manufacture their 
cloathing. In proportion as he grows rich, lie perceives the 
value of the protection of the laws ; he pays his taxes with 
punctuality ; he contributes to the support of churches and 
schools, as the only means of insuring order and tranquil- 
ity. 

Two-thirds of the farmers of Pennsylvania belong to 
this third class. It is to them that the State owes its an 
cient reputation and importance. If they have less of cun- 
ning than their neighbours of the South, who cultivate 
their lands by slaves, they have more of the republican 
virtues. It was from their farms that the American and 
French armies were principally supplied during the last 
war; it was from their produce that came those millions of 
dollars brought from the Havanna after the year 1780 — 
millions which laid the foundation of the bank of North- 
America, and supported the American army till the peace. 

This is a feeble sketch of the happiness of a Pennsyl- 
vania farmer; a happiness to which this State calls men of 
all countries and of all religions. It offers not the pleas- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 201 

ures of the Arcadia of the poets, or those of the great towns 
of Europe; but it promises you independence, plenty, and 
happiness — in return for patience, industry, and labour. 
The moderate price of lands, the credit that may be ob- 
tained, and the perfect security that the courts of justice 
give to every species of property, place these advantages 
M'ithin the reach of every condition of men. 

I do not pretend here to give the histoi-y of all the set- 
tlements of Pennsylvania. It often happens, that the same 
man, or the same family, holds the place of the first and 
second, and sometimes of the third class of planters above 
described. In the counties near Philadelphia, you see vast 
houses of brick, and farms well cultivated, in the posses- 
sion of the descendants, in the second or third degree, of 
the companions of Willian Penn. 

This passion for emigration, of which I have spoken, 
will appear to you unaccountable — that a man should vol- 
untarily abandon the country that gave him birth, the 
church where he was consecrated to God, the tombs of his 
ancestors, the companions and friends of his youth, and 
all the pleasures of polished society — to expose himself to 
the dangers and difficulties of conquering savage nature, 
is, in the eyes of a European philosopher, a phenomenon 
which contradicts the ordinary progress and principles 
of the actions of men. But such is the fact ; and this pas- 
sion contributes to increase the population of America, 
not only in the new settlements, but in the old states ; for, 
when the number of farmers is augmented in any canton 
beyond the number of convenient farms, the population 
languishes, the price of land rises to such a degree as to 
diminish the profits of agriculture, encourage idleness, or 
turn the attention to less honourable pursuits. The best 
preventative of these evils is the emigration of part of the 
inhabitants. This part generally consists of the most idle 



203 NEW TKAVELS IN THE 

and dissipated, who necessarily- become industrious in tlieir 
new settlement; while the departure augments the means 
of subsistance and population to those left behind ; as prun- 
ing increases the size of the tree, and the quantity of its 
fruits. 

The third class of cultivators which I have described 
is chiefly composed of Germans. They make a great part 
of the popuation of Pennsylvania. It is more than a cen- 
tury since the first Germans Avere established here. They 
are regarded as the most honest, the most industrious and 
economical of the farmers. They never contract debts; 
they are, of all the Americans, the least attached to the 
use of rum and other ardent spirits. Thus their families 
are the most numerous. It is very common to see them 
have twelve or fourteen children.* It is said, they have 
not so much information as the other Americans; and in- 
formation is the soul of a Kepiiblican Government; but 
yet you find many men respectable for their knowledge and 
understanding amongst them, such as Rittenhouse, Kuhn, 
Mulhenberg, etc. 

A principal cause of emigration in the back parts of 
Pennsylvania, is the hope of escaping taxes ; yet the laud- 
tax is very light, as it does not exceed a penny in the 
pound of the estimation; and the estimation is much un- 
der the value of the lands. 

There is much irregularity in the land-tax, as likewise 
in the capitation, or poll-tax, but I see with pleasure, that 
bachelors pay more than married men. 

LETTER XXVII 

CLIMATE AND DISEASES OF PENNSYLVANIA 

I have already spoken to you, m^y friend, of the climate 
of this happy town. The respectable Doctor Rush has just 



•According to M. 5Ioheau, one family in 2ri.000 in France has thirteen 
children ; two have twelve. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 203 

communicated to me some uew and curious details, wliich 
I will communicate. 

This enliglitened observer, in oue energetic phrase, has 
pictured to me the variations incident to Philadelpliia. 
We have, said he, the humidity of Oreat Britain in the 
Spring', the heat of Africa in Summer, the temperance of 
Italy in June, the sky of Egypt in Autumn, the snows of 
Norway and the ice of Holland during the Winter; the 
tempests, to a certain degree, of the West Indies in each 
season, and the variable winds of Great Britain in every 
month of the year. 

Notwithstanding all these changes, tlie Doctor thinks, 
that the climate of Philadelphia is one of the most health- 
ful in the world. 

In dry weather, the air has a peculiar elasticity, Avhich 
renders heat or cold less insupportable than they are in 
places more humid. The air never becomes heavy and 
fatiguing, but when the rains are not followed by the bene- 
ficient North-west. During the three weeks that I have 
passed here (in August and September) I have felt noth- 
ing of the languor of body, and depression of spirits, which 
I expected ; though the heat has been very great, I found 
it supportable; nearly like that of Paris, but it caused a 
greater perspii'ation. 

Doctor Eush has observed, as have many physicians of 
Europe, that the state of mind influences much on the 
health. He cited to me two striking examples of it. The 
Engli.sh seamen Avounded in the famous naval battle of the 
12th of April, 1782, were cured with the greatest facility. 
The joy of victory gave to their bodies tlie force of health. 
He had made the same observations on the American sol- 
diers wounded at the battle of Trenton. 

Variability is the characteristic of the climate of Penn- 
.sylvania. It has changed bj' the clearing of lands, and the 



204 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

diminution of Avaters, which formerly abounded in this 
part of America. Many creeks, and even rivers, have dis- 
appeared by degrees; and this is to be expected in a coun- 
try where forests give place to cultivated fields. 

These changes have produced happy effects on the 
health of the people. An old man of this country has ob- 
served to me, that the health of the Pennsylvanias aug- 
ments in proportion to the cultivation of the country ; that 
their visages are less pale than they were thirty or forty 
years past; that for some time the number of centenaries 
has increased, and that the septuagenaries are very numer- 
ous. 

In 1782, there was such an extraordinary drought, that 
the Indian corn did not come to perfection, the meadows 
failed, and the soil became so inflammable, that in some 
places it caught fire, and the surface was burnt. This year 
it has been excessively rainy. On the 18th and 19th of 
August, there fell at Philadelphia seven inches of water. 
Wheat has suifered much this year from the rains. 

Happily all parts of the country are not subject to the 
same variations of the atmosphere ; so that a general scar- 
city is never known. If the harvest fails here, at fifty miles 
distance it abounds. You see that the heat here is about 
the same as at Paris, and that it is never so great as at 
Rome, since at the latter place the thermometer of Reau- 
mur rises to 30 degrees. You see, that the Winter here is 
not much colder than at Paris, as it rarely descends more 
than to twelve degrees below the freezing point. There 
falls much more rain here than at Paris. The common 
quantity there is twenty inches in the year, and it has not 
been known but once in sixty years to rise to twenty-five, 
while the common quantity at Philadelphia is thirty-five 
inches. By comparing the climate of Philadelphia with 
that of Pekin, nearly in the same latitude, you will find. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 205 

from the tables of Kirwan, that the Winters are much cold- 
er, and the Summers much warmer, in that part of China, 
than at Philadelphia. Doctor liush attributes the differ- 
ence to this circumstance, that Pennsylvania is bordered 
with a vast extent of forest, and that the country about 
Pekin is generally and highly cultivated. 

My friend Myers Fisher, who endeavours to explain the 
characters of men from the physical circumstances that 
surround them, has communicated to me an observation 
which he has made in that respect; it is, that the activity 
of the inhabitants of a country may be measured by the 
rapidity of its rivers, and the variations in its atmosphere. 

He could see the dullness and indecision of the Vir- 
ginians in the slow movement of the Potowmac ; while the 
rapid current of the rivers of the North painted to him the 
activity of the people of New-England. 

He told me, likewise, that the health of the people might 
very well consist with the variations of the air, provided 
that wise precautious were taken. This, as he assured 
me, was a part of the discipline of the Quakers. Thus, 
according to him, you may measure the longevity of the 
people of Pennsylvania by the .sect to which they belong. 
That of the Quakers ought to be placed at the head of this 
table of longevity ; that of the Moravians next ; the Presby- 
terians next, etc. 

Doctor Rush, whose observations in this respect are 
numerous, has told me, that sudden variations caused more 
diseases and deaths than either heat or cold constantly 
excessive. He instanced the rigorous winter of 1780, the 
burning summer of 1782, and the rainy summer of 1788. 
There were then few or no diseases; and those that hap- 
pened were occasioned by imprudence, such as cold water 
drunk in heat, or spiritous liquors in cold. Plurisies and 
inflammatory disorders are much diminshed within fifty 



20G NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

years. The months of May and June are considered as the 
most salubrious, and the valetudinarians are observed to 
be better in Summer and in Winter. 

LETTER XXVIII 

DISEASES THE MUST COMMON IX THE UNITED 
STATES. LONGEVITY 

Among the diseases of the United States, the consump- 
tion doubtless makes the greatest ravages. It was un- 
known to the original inhabitants of the country; it is 
then the result of European habits of life transported to 
this new Continent. It is more common in the towns than 
in the country; it destroys more women than men; it is a 
languid disorder, which drags, by slow steps, its victim to 
the tomb; each daj" plunges the dagger deeper in his breast, 
and renders more visible the incurable wound. Death, 
without ceasing, stares him in the face, and throws a fu- 
neral shrowd over the remainder of his days. The world 
and its pleasures disappear; the ties of friendship are the 
only ones that are strengthened and endeared, and which 
double the bitterness of his approaching dissolution. The 
consumption, in a word, is a long continued agony, a slow 
tormenting death. 

The physicians of this country attribute it to different 
causes ; to the excessive use of hot drinks, such as tea and 
coffee; to the habit of remaining too long in bed, and the 
use of feather-beds, for they know not the use of matresses; 
to the custom of eating too much meat, and of drinking too 
much spiritous liquors. Women are more subject to it 
than men ; because, independently of the above causes, thev 
take but little exercise, which is the only powerful remedy 
against the stagnation of humours, the great principle of 
the niarasma; they taste but little the pleasures of walk- 
ing; a movement which, varying the .spectacle of nature. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 207 

gives a refreshment to the senses, a new spring to the 
blood, and a new vigour to the soul. 

A particular cause of consumptions amongst the 
Quaker women is doubtless the habit of gravity and im- 
mobility which they contract in early life, and which they 
preserve for hours together in their silent meetings. The 
women of the other sects are equally attacked by consump- 
tions, but it is attributed to different causes ; they are fond 
of excessive dancing; heated with this, they drink cold 
water, eat cold unripe fruits, drink boiling tea, go thinly 
clad in winter, and give no attention to the sudden changes 
of weather. The (Quakers are more reasonable in these 
respects; but they balance these advantages by a fatal 
neglect of exercise. To preserve good health, a female 
sliould have the gaiety of a woman of fashion, with tlie 
prudence and jji-ecaution of a (Quaker. 

A moral or political cause maj' likewise aid us in ex- 
plaining why women are more subject to consumptions 
than men. It is tlie want of a will, or a civil existence. 
The submission to which women are habituated, has the 
effect of chains, which compress the limbs, cause obstruc- 
tions, deaden the vital princijile, and impede the circula- 
tion. The depression of the mind has a tendency to en- 
feeble the body. This submission to fathers and husbands 
is more renuirkable among the Quakers, than among the 
other sects. The time will doubtless come, when we shall 
be convinced that physical health, as well as political hap- 
piness, may be greatly promoted by equality and independ- 
ence of opinions among all the members of society. 

Consumptions, however, are not so numerous in Amer- 
ica as is generally imagined. This name is ignorantly 
given to many other disorders, which retluce the body to 
the same meagre state which follows a decay of the lungs. 
This appearance deceives, and may easily deceive the at- 



208 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

tendants of the sick, who give information to those who 
keep the bills of mortality. 

Another disease very common here, is the sore-throat; 
when putrid, it is mortal. It generally proceeds from ex- 
cessive heats, cold drinks, and carelessness in cloathing. 

When we reflect that Europe was formerly subject to 
these epidemical diseases, and that they have disappeared 
in proportion to the progress of cultivation, we are tempted 
to believe that they belong to new countries in the infancy 
of cultivation. 

The disease known in Europe by the name of influenza, 
is likewise common in America ; it made great ravages in 
1789. It began in Canada, passed through New York, and 
very soon infected Pennsylvania and the Southern States. 
Its symptoms are lassitude, feebleness, chills, heats, and 
the head-ache. It respects no age or sex, and especially 
precipitates to the tomb those who were attacked by the 
consumption. 

The fever and ague may be ranked in the class of these 
cruel epidemics; but it is more terrible, as its returns are 
annual. It not only visits the marshy countries and the 
sea-coast, but it is seen even in the healthy region of Al- 
bany. It is combated by the Peruvian bark ; but the most 
successful remedy, is a journey among the mountains, or 
into the northern States. This fever, more humane than 
men, subjects not to its empire the black slaves. This ex- 
emption is attributed to a custom they preserve with ob- 
stinacy, of keep fires always in their cabbins, even in the 
hottest season. The negroes are accustomed to consider 
excessive heat as a guarantee of health ; and you will see a 
negress, while she labours in the field, in the ardour of a 
burning sun, expose her infant to its fires, rather than lay 
it under the refreshing shade of a tree. This negress has 
not heard of the curious experiments of Dr. Inginhou.se 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 201) 

on the fatal effects of shades aud the uight air, but vou 
see that she knows their effects. 

Among the maladies common in the United States, 
must be reckoned the pleurisy and the peripneuuiouy, 
though they are less frequent than formerly. The small- 
pox, Avhich formerly made such havocks in the United 
States, is less formidable since the general practice of in- 
oculation. 

There are many physicians at Philadelphia, and you 
will perhaps assign this as the cause of so many diseases. 
You will be wrong. They are said to be skilful ; they are 
generally strangers to quackery. I know some of them 
who are highly respectiible, as well for their virtues, as for 
their knowledge; such as Rush, Griffiths, Wisneer; the b.ist 
are Quakers. 

The greatest part of these phj'sicians are, at the same 
time, apothecaries. Thej' continue to unite these two 
sciences, out of respect to the people, who wish that the 
man who orders the medicine should likewise prepare it. 
There are, however, other apothecaries, of whom the physi- 
cians purchase their drugs. 

The practice of this country is the English practice; 
that is, they are much in the use of violent remedies. Lax- 
atives are little in use. Almost all tiie physicians of this 
country are formed at the school of Edinburgh, and this 
is the cause of their predilection for the English practice. 

I know a Dr. Baily of this country, a man of good abili- 
ties, but perhaps too inflammable and too caustic, wlio, 
much irritated at the preference given by his countrymen 
to the English practice, was resolved to open a communi- 
cation between this country and the schools of France. 
This resolution did him tlie more honour, as he was known 
in politics for an Anglican, and a decided royalist. 



210 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

LETTER XXIX 

LONGEVITY AND CALCUL>ATIONS ON THE PROBABILITIES 
OF LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES 

You may thiuk, perhaps, after the account that I have 
giveu you of the maladies Avhich afflict America, that hu- 
man life is shorter here thau in Eurojje. It is a prejudice; 
and as it has been accredited by many writers, and by 
some even who have travelled in America, it becomes a 
duty to destroy it. 

The Abbe Robin, one of these travellers, has declared, 
that after the age of twenty-five, the American women ap- 
l)ear old ; that cliildren die here in greater proportion than 
in Europe; that there are very few old people, etc., etc. 
jM. Paw, I believe, has uttered these fables before him. 
Nothing is more false. I have observed with care the women 
between thirty and fifty yeai's of age; they have generally 
a good appearance, good health, and are even agreeable. I 
have seen them of fifty, with such an air of freshness, that 
they would not have been taken by an European for more 
than forty. I have seen women of sixty and seventy, 
sparkling with health. I speak here especially of the wo- 
men of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. 

In Pennsylvania you do not see the same tints adorn 
the interesting visages of the daughters and wives of the 
Quakers; they are generally pale. 

I have paid attention to their teeth. I have seen of 
them that are fine ; and where they are otherwise, it is, as 
in England, more owing to hot drinks than to the climate. 

Not only the number of aged persons are more con- 
siderable liere than in Europe, as I am going to prove to 
you, but they preserve generally their faculties, intellectual 
and physical. 

I was told of a minister at Ipswich in Massachusetts, 
who preached vei-y well at ninety years of age; another, 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 211 

of the same age, walked on foot to church on Sunday twen- 
ty miles. A Mr. Temple died at the age of an hundred in 
17G5, and left four daughters and four sons of the follow- 
ing age.s, 80, 85, 83, 81, 79, 77, 75, 73. 

But I will not confine myself to such light observations. 
I will give you some tables of mortality, and of the proba- 
bilities of life, in this country. This is the only method of 
conveying to you certain information. 

Tables of longevity may be every where considered as 
the touchstone of Governments; the scale on which may 
be measured their excellencies and their defects, the per- 
fection or degradation of the humau species. 

The general causes of longevity are, 

1. The salubrity of the atmosphere and of the country. 

2. The abundance and goodness of the aliments. 

3. A life regular, active, and happy. 

We must, then, consider the exterior circumstances as 
relative to the occupations of men, to tiieir morals, to their 
religion, and their government. 

Wherever property is centered in a few hands, where 
employment is precarious and dependent, life is not so 
long; it is cut off by grief and care, which abridge more 
the principle of life than even want itself. Wherever the 
government is arbitrary, and tyranny descends in divi- 
sions from rank to rank, and falls heavy on the lower 
classes, life must be short among the peo^sle, because they 
are slaves; and a miserable slave, trampled on at every 
moment, can enjoy neither that ease, nor that regularity, 
nor that interior satisfaction, which sustains the princi- 
ples of life. The excesses and mortifications attending ou 
ambition, abridge, in an equal degree, the life of the class 
which tyrannizes. 

On applying these morals and political considerations 
to the United States, you may conclude, that there can be 



212 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

uo country where the life of mau is of longer duration; 
for, to all the advantages of nature, they unite that of a 
liberty, which has no equal ou the Old Continent; and 
this liberty, let us not cease to repeat it, is the principle of 
health. If any Government should wish to revive the 
speculation of life annuities on selected heads, I should 
advise to select them in the North of the United States. 

It is difficult here to obtain regular tables of births and 
deaths. There are some sects who do not baptize their 
children, and whose registers are not carefully kept; others 
who baptise only their adults. Some of the sick have no 
physicians or sui'geons, and their attendants who give the 
information are not exact. The constant fluctuations oc- 
casioned by emigrations and immigrations, still increase 
the difficulty. Yet we may approach near the truth, by 
taking for examples such seaports as are more occupied 
in the coasting trade than in long voyages; it is for this 
reason that I have chosen the towns of Salem and Ipswich 
in Massachusetts. I take these tables from the Memoirs 
of the Academy of Boston — Memoirs little known in 
Prance. 

Doctor Halley, for the standard of his tables of mor- 
tality, chose Breslaw in Germany, on account of its in- 
terior situation and the regular employment of its inhabi- 
tants. By the calculations of these political arithme- 
ticians, five persons in twelve die at Breslaw before the 
age of five years. 

At Ipswich, a village at the Northward of Boston, six 
only in thirty-three die within that age. At Breslaw, one 
in thirty attains the age of eighty years; at Ipswich, one in 
eight. This disproportion is enormous ; and this longevity 
is found in many other parts of ilassachusetts and New 
Hampshire. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 213 

• At Woodstock, in Connecticut, one hundred and tbii-- 
teen persons have died in eleven jeai's ; of these twenty-one 
were seventy years old and upwards, and thirteen were 
eighty and upwards. This gives something more than the 
proportion of an octogeuary in nine. These facts are taken 
from authentic registers. 

The minister of Andover iu New Hampshire, a respect- 
able and well informed man, has assured me, that more 
than one in eight males and females iu his neighbourhood, 
pass the age of seventy years ; and that this observation is 
the result of long experience in that and the neighbouring 
parishes. 

Compare these facts to those stated by M. Moheau.* 
He says, that in the Island of Oerlon, of 11,000 inhabitants, 
there are but five or six octogenaries, and but one for forty- 
two is iu the list of deaths iu the Isle of Ilhe, which is 
reckoned remarkably healthful. 

The minister of Andover made to me another observa- 
tion, which tends to confirm a system advanced by an 
author whose name I forget. It is, that men of letters 
enjoy the greatest longevity. He told me, that the oldest 
men were generally found among the Ministers. This fact 
will explain some of the causes of longevity; such as regu- 
larity of morals, information, independence of spirit, and 
easy circumstances. 

But you will be lietter able to judge of the longevity 
iu the United States, by the table of the probabilities of 
life given to me by the respectable Doctor Wiglesworth, 
of the University of Cambridge. It contains a comparison 
of these probabilities in New England, in England, in 
Sweden, in Germany, in Holland, and in France. 

The first column gives the ages ; the following one gives, 
by yeaT's, and decimal parts of a year, the probabilities of 



•See Reehertbes et Considerations siir la Population de la Fiance, page 192. 



214 



NEW TRAVELS IN THE 



A COMPARATIVE TABLE OF THE PROBABILITIES OF LIFE IN NEW ENG- 
LAND AND IN EUROPE 


NEW ENGLAND. 


ENGLAND. 




to 
= 1 

ca 


n 


o a 
CM 


3 

a 

II 

5h 


J3 


o 
c 
£ 

o 

z; 


CHESTER. 


^ 


1 


— 

rt 

s 


s 

It 

(4 


a» 

a 

si 


25 


36.07 


35.46 


37.89 


26.1 


31.56 


30.85 


32.00 


34.78 


35.58 


30 


33.40 


33.81 


34.97 


23.6 


28.93 


28.27 


29.25 


32.27 


32.66 


35 


30.70 


30.83 


31.89 


21.5 


26.05 


25.68 


25.97 


29.26 


29.43 


40 


26.45 


28.28 


28.74 


19.6 


23.18 


23.08 


22.92 


26.37 


26.40 


45 


22.9 


25.11 


25.80 


17.8 


20.78 


20.52 


20.20 


23.50 


23.35 


50 


19.86 


22.08 


22.79 


16.0 


17.55 


17.99 


17.64 


20.62 


20.49 


55 


17.75 


18.47 


19.22 


14.2 


14.87 


15.58 


15.14 


17.52 


17.47 


60 


14.63 


15.20 


15.49 


12.4 


12.36 


13.21 


12.36 


14.20 


14.86 


65 


11.31 


12.29 


12.98 


10.5 


10.05 


10.88 


10.79 


11.94 


12.30 


70 


10.01 


9.68 


10.46 


8.8 


8.12 


8.60 


8.05 


8.81 


10.00 


75 


8.39 


7.63 


8.40 


7.2 


6.44 


6.54 


7.00 


7.14 


7.87 


80 


6.96 


6.03 


6.87 


5.0 


5.14 


4.75 


5.43 


5.20 


5.75 


85 


3.06 


5.02 


4.95 




3.50 


3.37 


4.25 


4.85 


.... 







SWEDEN 


. 




GERMANY. 


HOL- 
LAND. 


FRANCE. 




STOCKHOLM. 


In the 
KINGDOM. 




S 

a 

c 


Kerfsboom's Tables 
of Annuitants. 


« 






m 


sg 




i 

3 


iri 

s 

o 




25 


21.40 


26.80 


33.63 


35.58 


30.88 


31.76 


33.27 


37.01 


30 


19.42 


23.98 


30..34 


32.17 


27.80 


28.70 


30.92 


33.96 


35 


17.58 


21.62 


27.09 


29.03 


24.92 


25.56 


28.36 


30.73 


40 


15.61 


19.21 


23.75 


25.21 


22.13 


22.65 


25.49 


27.30 


45 


13.78 


17.17 


20.71 


22.57 


19.56 


19.65 


22.34 


23.77 


50 


11.95 


15.12 


17.72 


19.26 


17.07 


16.55 


19.41 


20.24 


55 


10.36 


12.89 


14.98 


16.15 


14.77 


13.68 


16.72 


16.88 


60 


8.69 


10.45 


12.24 


13.08 


12.30 


11.28 


14.10 


13.86 


65 


7.39 


8.39 


9.78 


10.49 


9.86 


9.15 


11.56 


11.07 


70 


5.81 


6.16 


7.60 


7.91 


7.45 


7.48 


9.15 


8.34 


75 


4.09 


4.39 


5.89 


6.03 


5.51 


6.17 


6.81 


5.79 


80 


.... 


.... 


4.27 


4.47 


4.08 


5.06 


5.05 


4.73 


85 






3.16 


3.40 


2.36 


4.18 


3.38 


3.45 



EXPLANATION. 

The first column Fires the ages ; the following ones give, by years and decimal 
parts of a year, the probabilities of life among the Inhabitants of the different places 
mentioned. The second column regards the Graduates of Harvard College, at Cambridge, 
near Boston; Hingham, which forms the third, is in Massachusetts; and Dover, which 
forms the fourth. Is in New Hampshire. The other columns are talien from the work 
of Dr. Price. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 215 

life among the iuhabitauts of the different places men- 
tioned. You will see in this table, that the i>robabilities 
of life in this part of the United States surpass those of 
England and Sweden, even those of the annuitants whose 
lives served for the basis to the tables of Kersboom ; and 
that they almost equal those of the annuitants which 
served as the basis to the calculations of M. de Parcieux, 
for the establishment of life annuities.* 

The second column is ajipropraited to the graduates of 
the University of Cambridge, the nurser}- of ministers and 
statesmen for that part of the country. The probabilities 
in this column are calculated on the whole list of gradu- 
ates, received since the year 1711. 

Hingham, which forms the third column, is at the 
southeast of Boston. The occupations and manners of life 
in this place, are much the same as in the rest of Mass- 
achusetts. The probabilities in this column are taken 
from the list of deatlis, made with great care for fifty 
years by Doctor Gay. 

The column for Dover, situated on the river Piscutuay, 
twelve miles from the sea, in New Hampshire, is formed 
from the list of deaths kept for ten years by Doctor Bel- 
knap, minister of that place. 

The other columns, which regard the countries in 
Eui'ope, are taken from the work of Doctor Price. 

This comparative table will fix your ideas on the sub- 
ject of longevity in the United States. And it is to be 
hoped that from the care of Doctor Wiglesworth of the 
academy of Boston, and that of the members of the other 
academies in the several States, we may soon have regular 
and complete tables for the thirteen States. 

To satisfy your curiosity more completely, I will now 
give you a list of births, marriages, and deaths in a parti- 



*We readily conrpivp that thp probabiUtips of common life in France and 
Holland, are much inferior to these tables of annuitants. 



216 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

cular town ; that jou may see the proportion between the 
births and deaths, and the ages of the deceased. I will 
take Salem, which is considered as a very unhealthful 
town. It is a sea-port, in the forty-second degree of lati- 
tude, five leagues north-east of Boston, situated between 
two rivers, on a flat piece of laud, elevated but twenty 
feet above the level of the sea at high water ; two little hills 
in the neighborhood; soil light, dr.y, and sandy, without 
marshes; the inhabitants not subject to epidemical dis- 
eases. They complain at present of some nervous and 
hysterical disorders, which were formerly unkuowu to 
them. 

Mr. Holyoke sent to the academy of Boston the two 
following tables for this town of Salem : 

TABLE FOR 1781. 

Deaths 175 

Births 317 

Baptisms 152 

Marriages 70 

Taxable polls, tliat is, males above the age of sixteen, 

and residing in the towTi 897 

Transient persons 200 

AGES OF THE DECEASED. 

In being born 

Within the first month 6 

Between one mouth and one year 30 

Between one and two years 20 

Between two and five 2 

Between five and ten 7 

Between ten and fifteen 3 

Between fifteen and twenty 6 

Betw^een twenty and twenty-five 5 

Between twenty-five and thirty 7 

Between thirty and forty 24 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 217 

Between forty and fifty 10 

Between fifty and sixty 7 

Between sixty and seventy 2 

Between seventy and eighty 7 

Between eighty and ninety 6 

Ages unknown 27 

TABLE FOR 1782. 

Deaths ISO 

Births, about 3S5 

Baptisms 158 

Marriages, about 81 

Taxable polls 1,000 

Number of iuliabitauts, about 9,000 

AGES OF THE DECEASED. 

In being born 14 

In the first month 11 

Between one month and one year 27 

Between one and two years 29 

Between two and five 28 

Between five and ten 12 

Between ten and fifteen 5 

Between fifteen and twenty 2 

Between twenty and twenty-five 8 

Between twenty-five and thirty 8 

Between thirty and forty 9 

Between forty and fifty 8 

Between fifty and sixty 7 

Between sixty and seventy 6 

Between seventy and eighty fi 

Between eighty and ninety 2 

Ages unknown '9 

•In the American Journals they eive the lists of deaths. The following 
is one that I took at hazard in the American Museum for May. 17»0: Deaths. 
Nevr Hampshire, one at 70 years ; Slassachusetts. many at 71 — one at 10*5 — 
one at ft2 — one at S7 : Connecticut, one at OS — one at 91 : New York, one at 
10-4 ; New Jersey, one at SO ; I'ennsylyania, one at Si — several at 76. 



218 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

You will recollect that Salem is one of the most un- 
healthful towns in America. You do not find in the above 
two lists the proportion of great ages that I have men- 
tioned in other places. 

The year 1781 gives 175 deaths. If you look for the 
population of Salem by the general rule of thirty living 
for one dead, the number of inhabitants would appear to 
be 5,250 — whereas it was 9,000. You must then count for 
Salem fifty living for one deceased. In London there dies 
one for twenty-three; and in the country in England, one 
in forty; in Paris, one in thirty; in the country, one in 
twenty-four. 

In 1781, at Salem, the bii'ths are as one to twenty-seven 
of the inhabitants. In common years in France it is as 
one to twenty-six. 

As to marriages, M. Moheau reckons for the country in 
France one for 121, and for Paris one for 160. In Salem, 
you must count, for 1781, only one for 128. But this is 
far from being the proportion for the country in America. 
We have no exact table for this purpose. We must wait. 

I cannot terminate this long article on longevity with- 
out giving you the table of births and deaths in the Luth- 
eran congregation at Philadelphia for fourteen years, from 
1774 to 1788. The proportion is curious. 





BIRTHS 


DEATHS 


From 1771 to 1775 


379 


156 


From 1775 to 1776 


338 


175 


From 1776 to 1777 


389 


124 


From 1777 to 1778 


298 


169 


From 1778 to 1779 


303 


178 


From 1779 to 1780 


348 


186 


From 1780 to 1781 


320 


158 


From 1781 to 1782 


323 


162 


From 1782 to 1783 


398 


219 



UNITED STATES OF AJIERICA 219 



From 1783 to 1784 


389 


215 


From 1784 to 1785 


426 


153 


From 1785 to 1786 


420 


157 


From 1786 to 1787 


419 


150 


From 1787 to 1788 


425 


178 



5,175 2,369 

You will observe, that iu years of the war the births 
were less numerous. This is a natural reflexion, which 
ought always to be made by any one who makes calcula- 
tions on the population of America. 

Finally, my friend, to give you a further idea of the 
rapidity of population in America, take the tables of 
Rhode Island and New Jersey, and compare them with 
the one I gave you on Pennsylvania. 

rOPULATION OF RHODE ISL^iND. 



rears 


Whites 


Blacks 


1730 


15,312 


2,603 


1742 


29,755 


4,375 


1761 


35,939 


4,697 


1774 


54,435 


5,243 


1783 


48,538 

NEW JERSEY. 


3,361 


1738 


43,388 


3,981 


1745 


56,797 


4,606 


1784 


139,934 


10,501 



You observe by these tables, that the population of 
Rhode Island, which had almost doubled in twelve years, 
from thirty to forty-two, has diminished during the war. 
But with what pleasure do you see the population in New 
Jersey more than tripled iu forty years, notwithstanding 
the obstructions occasioned by the same bloody war! And 
with what pleasure do you, who are the defender of the 



220 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

blacks, observe that their number has more than doubled 
in the same space of time in New Jersey: though the im- 
portation of them Avas prohibited in 1775, though tlie war 
cost the life of a great number of negroes, and though 
many of them were stolen by the English and sold in their 
islands ! 

From all the fads and all the tables which I have 
given you, it must be concluded that the life of man is 
much longer in the United States of America, than in the 
most salubrious countries of Europe. 

LETTER XXX. 
THE PRISON OF PHIL.\DELPHIA, AND PRISONS IN GENERAL. 

And PhiJadelphia, likewise has its prison! I love to 
believe, that for the first thirty or forty years, when the 
Quakers were the magistrates, or rather, when there was 
no need of magistrates, I love to indulge the belief that 
there was no prison. But since the English, to deliver 
themselves from the banditti that infested their island, 
have ijractised letting them loose upon the colonies — since 
great numbers of foreign adventurers have overspread the 
country, especially since the last war, which has aug- 
mented their number, reduced many to misery and habit- 
uated others to crimes — it has been necessary to restrain 
them by prisons. One fact does honour to this State; 
which is, that among the prisoners of Philadelphia, not one 
in ten is a native of the country. During my stay in this 
town, one robbery only has been committed ; and this was 
by a French sailor. 

Almost all the other prisoners are either Irishmen or 
Frenchmen. 

This prison is a kind of house of correction. The pris- 
oners are obliged to work; and each enjoys the profit of 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 221 

liis own labour. This is the best method of ameliorating 
men ; and it is a method used by the Quakers. 

Those who govern the house of correction in New York, 
on consenting to take charge of criminals condemned by 
the law, have obtained leave to substitute to whips and 
mutilation their humane method of correction; and they 
daily succeed in leading back to industry and reason these 
deluded men. 

One of these Quakers was asked, by what means it was 
possible to correct men who dishonour human nature, and 
who will not work. "We have two powerful instruments,"' 
replied the Quaker, ''hunger and hope." 

By the small number of Pennsylvanians contained in 
the prison of Philadelphia, we may conclude, that, were 
it not for the strangers, the govei'nment of this towu, like 
that of Nantucket, might have a prison with open doors, 
of which honor and repentance are the only keepei's. 

But, after all, what is the use of prisons? why those 
tombs for living men? the Indians have them not; and 
they are not the worse for it. If there exists a country 
where it is possible, and where it is a duty to change this 
system, it is America ; it is therefore to the Americans that 
I address the following reflexions. 

Prisons are fatal to the health, liberty, and morals of 
men. To preserve health, a man has need of a pure air, 
frequent exercise, and wholesome food. In a prison, the 
air is infected, there is no space for exercise, and the food 
is often detestable. 

A man is not in health, but when he is with beings who 
love him, and by whom he is beloved. In prison, he is with 
strangers and with criminals. There can exist no .society 
between them ; or, if there does, he must either be obliged 
to struggle without ceasing against the horrid principles 
of these wicked men, which is a torment to him; or he 



222 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

adopts their principles and becomes like them — a man by 
living constantly ^vith fools, becomes a fool himself, every 
thing in life is contagion and correspondence. 

By imprisonment, you snatch a man from his wife, his 
children, his friends ; you deprive him of their succour and 
consolation ; you plunge him into grief and mortification ; 
you cut him off from all those connections which render 
his existence of any importance. He is like a plant torn up 
by the roots and severed from its nourishing soil ; and how 
will you expect it to exist? 

The man who has for a long time vegetated in a prison, 
who has exjierienced frequent convulsions of rage and des- 
pair, is no longer the same being, on quitting this abode, 
that he was when he entered it. He returns to his family, 
from whom he has been long sequestered; he no more 
meets from them, or experiences in himself, the same at- 
tachment and the same tendei'ness. 

In putting a man in prison, you subject him to the 
power of the gaoler, of the turnkey, and of the commissary 
of the prison. Before these men he is obliged to abase 
himself, to disguise his sensations, to constrain his pas- 
sions, in order that his misery may not be increased. This 
state of humiliation and constraint is horrible to him; 
and besides, it renders his masters imperious, unjust, vexa- 
tions, and wicked. 

To oblige a freeman to use supplication to obtain jus- 
tice, is to do him a lasting injury. The tree that is once 
bent from its natural form never acquires it again. 

The laws which ordain the habeas corpus are wise and 
natural. But they do not ordain it in all cases. A pris- 
oner for debt, who cannot obtain surety, must remain a 
prisoner. A man accused of a capital offence, who will be 
probably acquitted on trial, cannot enjoy the benefit of this 
law. These are abuses. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 223 

Is it not mucli more simple to imitate the Indians, to 
grant every man tlie privilege of his own house for a 
prison, though you are obliged to put a sentinel at his 
door? and for those that have no house of their own, es- 
tablish a public house, where they can pursue their occu- 
pations. 

If such regulations are necessary for any society, it is 
surely for the one which has good morals, and wishes to 
preserve them : if they are any where jiracticable, it is 
among a people where great crimes are rare. Recollect, 
my friend, that but within a few years before the last war, 
no capital punishment had ever been inflicted in Connecti- 
cut. 

I am surprised then that the penalty of death is not 
totally al)olished in this country. JManners here are so 
pure, the means of living so abundant, and misery so rare, 
that thei'e can be no need of such hoi'rid pains to prevent 
tlie commission of crimes. 

Doctor Rush has just given force to all these argu- 
ments in favour of the abolition of the punishment of 
death. He has not yet succeeded ; but it is to be hoped that 
the State of Pennsylvania, and even all the States, disen- 
gaging themselves from their ancient superstition for the 
English laws, will soon dare to give to Europe a great ex- 
ample of justice, humanity, and policy. Any objections 
that may be made against this reform in Europe will not 
apply in this country. 

LETTER XXXI. 

THE QUAKERS, THEIR PRIVATE MORALS, THEIR MANNERS, ETC. 

I have promised you, my friend, a particular article 
on this respectable society. I this day perform my promise. 

You remember with what insulting levity M. de Chas- 
tellux has treated them in the very superficial journal 



224 NEW TRAVELS IN TOE 

which he has published. You recollect the energetic cen- 
sure* which I passed on his errors, his falsehoods, and his 
calumnies. You have uot forgot the stupid persecution 
that this censure brought on me, and the mouoeuvres em- 
ployed to stifle my work by that same witty Marquis, and 
by other academicians, who wished to tyrannize public 
opinion, and monopolize reputation. 

And now, my friend, I have l)een able to compare the 
portrait which I had made of tliem witli the original ; and 
I am convinced that it is very nearly just. At least the 
portrait does not flatter them. I endeavoured to guard 
myself from the prejudices which their flattering reception 
of me might have occasioned. The way was prepared for 
this reception by the apology which I had published in 
their favour; it was translated into English even here, by 
.some respectable members of the society, and distributed 
every where with profusion ; and I find to my satisfaction, 
that it has contributetl to dissipate the unhappy prejudices 
Avhich the indiscretions, boasts and sarcasms of our frivol- 
ous academician had excited against the whole French 
nation. 

Simplicity, candour, and good faith, characterize the 
actions as well as the discourses of the (Quakers. They are 
not affected, but they are sincere; they are not polished, 
but they are humane; they have not that wit, that spark- 
ling wit — without which a man is nothing in France, and 
with which he is evei-y thing; but they have good sense, a 
sound judgment, an upright heart, and an obliging temper 
of mind. If I wished to live in society, it would be wilh 
the Quakers. If I wished to amuse myself, it would be 
with my countrymen. And their women — you ask, what 
are they? They are what they should be, faithful to their 
husbands, tender to their children, vigilant and econom- 



•See Examen critique dcs Voyages dans TAnierlque Septentlonale de M. 
le Marquis de Cbastellux. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 22,') 

ical iu their household, and simple in their ornaments. 
Tlieir principal characteristic is, that they ai'e not eager 
to please all the worhl : neglectful of the exterior, thej- 
reserve all their accomplishments for the mind. Let us 
say it, let us not cease to repeat it, it is among manners 
like these that we are to look for good households, happy 
families, and puldic virtues. But we, miserable wretches ! 
gangrened with our own civilization and politeness, we 
have abjured these manners. And who among us is happy? 
unless you can find a man wlio has the courage to content 
himself with a life of nature, and to live like people of 
former ages. If you conform to nature, says Seneca, you 
will never be poor ; if to opinion, you will never be rich. 

I will not recall to your mind all that M. Crevecoeur 
has said of the Quakers. I only wish to say to you what he 
has not said. 

Simplicity is a favorite virtue with the Quakers ; and 
the men still follow, with some exactness, the counsel of 
Penu : "Let thy garments be plain and simple; attend to 
convenience and decency, but not to vanity. If thou art 
clean and warm, thy end is accomplished ; to do more, is 
to rob the poor."* 

I have seen James Pemberton, one of the most wealthy 
Quakers, and one whose virtues liave placed him among 
the most respectal)le of their chiefs; I have seen him wear 
a thread-bare coat, but it was neat. He likes better to 
clothe the poor, and to expend money in the cause of tlie 
blacks, than to change often his coats. 

You know the dress of the (Quakers — a round hat, gen- 
erally white; cloth coat; cotton or woollen stockings; no 
powder on their hair, which is cut short and hangs round. 
They commonly carry in the pocket a little comb in a case; 

•See Fruits of Solitude, etc. by William Penn. In these instances of 
re-translation, it is scarcely possible to preserve exactly the expressions of the 
original author. Any deviations of this sort are therefore to be imputed uot 
to a desire of changing his phraseology, but to the misfortune of not having 
at hand the original works. 

IS 



L'LX; NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

and on euteriiig a bouse, if the liair is disordered, they 
comb it without ceremony before the first mirror tliat tliey 
meet. 

The wliite hat which they prefer, has become more 
common here since Franklin has proved tlie advantages 
which it possesses, and the inconvenience of the black. 

Tlie Qiiakei-s in the country generally wear cloth made 
in their own houses. And at their general meeting here, 
in September this year, which consisted of more than 
fifteen hundred, nine-tenths of the number were clothed 
in American cloth. This is an example to the otlier sects. 

Thei'e are some Quakers who dress more like other 
sects; who wear powder, silver buckles, and ruffles. They 
are called wet Quakers. The others regard them as a kind 
(jf schismaticks, or feeble men. They are admitted, indeed, 
into Llieir churches on Sunday, but never to their monthly 
or (luarterly meetings. 

It is not uu)re than fifteen years since it was a kind of 
crime in all sects in America to wear powder. In general, 
manners have changed since the war, by the intercourse of 
European armies. But to the honour of the (Quakers, theirs 
have not changed. This is to be attributed to the rigor of 
their discipline, and to their discarding those who violate 
it. 

They put on woollen stockings the 15th of September; 
it is an article of their discipline, wliich extends to their 
clothing; and to this is to be attributed their remarkable 
longevity. Among the few companions of William Penn 
in 1693, six are now alive — Edward Drinker, born in 1G80, 
has been dead but two years. It is from the intimate con- 
viction of the advantages of their maxims, that they pre- 
serve in them with singular constancy. Their singulari- 
ties are the effect of reason and long experience. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 227 

The Quaker woiiieu dress more comfortably than those 
of the other sects; aud this renders them less subject to 
sickness. Age and fortune, however, cause much greater 
distinctions in their dress than in that of the men. The 
matrons wear the gravest colours, little black bonnets, 
and the hair simply turned back. The young women curl 
their hair with great care and anxiety; which costs them 
as much time as the most exquisite toilette. Tliey wear 
little hats covered with silk or sattin. These observations 
gave me pain. These young tiuakeresses, whom nature 
has so well endowed, whose charms have so little need of 
the borrowed hand of art, are remarkable for their choice 
of the tinest linens, muslins, and silks. Elegant fans play 
lietween their fingers. Oriental luxury itself, would not 
disdain the linen they wear. Is this agreeable to the doc- 
ti-ine of Penn? ''Modesty and mildness," says he, "are the 
richest and finest ornaments of the soul. The more simple 
the dress, the more will beauty and these qualities ap- 
pear." 

I say it with fi*eedom, and I ought to say it to my 
friends the Quakers, (for I am sure they will read me; and 
I would not flatter my friends ; a hint of good advice is al- 
ways well received by them), that if any thing can dis- 
credit their principles abroad, it is the relaxation insensi- 
l)]y introduced into their manners and customs. Their 
taste in linens and silks is regarded by others as a hypo- 
critical luxury, ill-disguised; which is absurd, at least 
among men so apparently devoted to simplicity and aus- 
terity. 

Luxury begins where utility ends. Now, where is the 
utility to the body in the use of the finest of linen? And 
how usefuly might the money be employed, which is now 
applied to tliis luxury! There are so many good actions 
to be done! So many persons in want! 



228 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Luxury displayed in simple things announces more van- 
ity than when displayed in an ordinary manner; for it 
seems to be considered as the measure of Avealth, of Avhich 
they affect to despise the ostentation. Indeed, it announces 
a mind not truly penetrated with the great principles of 
morality — a mind that places its happiness, not in virtue, 
but in appearance. 

And what an ill example is thus given to the other 
Americans by the Quakers, who have been to them the 
models of simplicity? Their country does not, and will 
not for a long time, manufacture these fine linens, these 
delicate muslins, of which the texture is scarcely percep- 
tible. They must be purchased in foreign couutries, to 
which they have recourse for so many articles of neces- 
sity. Thus, this luxury drains from their country the 
money so much wanted for the extension of agriculture 
and other useful enterprises. Let the Quakers who read 
this article, meditate upon it; let them reflect, that the 
use of rum, against which they raise their voice with great 
energy and justice, cannot make more ravages in America 
than the introduction of luxury in their society. I made 
the same remark on the household furniture of those who 
are rich among them. It has the appearance of simplicity ; 
but in many instances it is certainly expensive. 

Happily, this luxury has not yet found its way to the 
tables of the Quakers. Their dinners are solid, simple, 
and elegant, enlivened by serene and sensible conversation, 
and endeared by hospitality. They drink beer, Philadel- 
phia porter, cider, and finish with a glass of wine. None 
of those fatiguing toasts, which are rather provocatives to 
intoxication than accents of patriotism. 

Those who reproach the Quakers with sadness and mo- 
roseness, are unacquainted . with their true character, and 
have never lived with them. I, who have been received by 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 229 

them as a child, and domesticated as a friend, judge them 
very differently. I have found among them moments of 
gaiety, of effusions of the heart, of sprightly and agree- 
able conversation. They are not buffoons, but they are 
serene; they are happy, and, if gaiety consists in the ex- 
pression of heart-felt happiness, they are gay. 

We Frenchmen have the reputation of being gay, of 
laughing at every thing, of balancing a misfortune by a 
pun. This is a folly. To laugh is the sign of gaiety, aud 
gaiety is the sign of agreeable sensations. To be gay, 
therefore, in the depth of misery is a falsehood or a folly; 
to be serene and unmoved, is wisdom. We ought not to 
be depressed hy misfortunes; neither ought we to laugh 
at them ; the one is a weakness of mind, tlie other is mad- 
ness or stupidity. 

The calmness which characterizes the Quakers in their 
joy, accompanies them likewise in their grief, in their dis- 
cussions, and in all their affairs. They owe it to tlieir edu- 
cation ; they are early taught to curb their passions, es- 
pecially that of anger; to render themselves, as they call 
it, immovable; that is, inaccessible to sudden emotions; 
it results from this, that on all occasions, they preserve 
an empire over themselves ; and this gives them a great 
advantage in discussion over those who do not presei've 
the same temper. "The greatest service," says Penn, "that 
thou canst render to reason, is to clothe her in calmness; 
and he that defends truth witli too much heat, does her 
more injury than her adversaries themselves." I saw an 
example of the effects of this coolness in debate, in my 
friend ^Nlyers Fisher, who is a learned and virtuous prac- 
titioner of the law. I lieard him before the legislature de- 
fend the cause of the Pilots, against a bill, the object of 
which was, to reduce their pay. Clearness, close reason- 
ing, and deep erudition, distinguished his discourse; 



230 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

whicli wiis followed by success. He preserved constantly 
his ciiliiiiu'ss of tompei-, amidst the frequent attacks and 
sudden inl('rrui)ti()ns on the part of the members of the 
Assembij'. 

The Quakers carry to the borders of the tomb this same 
tranquility of mind; and it even forsakes not the womeu 
at tliis distressiu}i- nioment. This is the fruit of their re- 
lijjious i)riucii)Ies, and of a regular virtuous life. They 
consider Heaven as their counti'y; aiul tliey cannot con- 
ceive why death, which conducts to it, should be a mis- 
fortune. 

This liubitnal serenity does not diminish their sensi- 
bility. The respectable Pemberton recounted to me the 
death of a beloved daughter, which happened the day be- 
fore. 1 could see the tear steal down his cheek, wliich a 
moment's reflection caused to disappear. He loved to 
speak to me of her virtues and her resignation during her 
long agony. "She was an angel," says he, "and she is now 
in her place." 

This good father did not exaggerate. You will find in 
this Society, many of the celestial images, clothed in 
serenity, the symbol of internal peace and conscious virtue. 

I cannot explain to you the fact; but it is true, that I 
feel an expansion of soul in their society. I meet a mau 
of a pure mind. I am at once at my ease, we are like inti- 
mate and old acquaintance, we understand each other 
M'ithout speaking. A corrupted man, a sharper, a man of 
tlie world, produces on me a contrary impression. Jly 
soul contracts and recoils upon itself, like the sensitive 
plant. 

The portrait M'hich I have given you of the Quakers, 
is not only {ho result of my own observations, but what 
has been told me by enlighteued men of the other sects. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 231 

I asked one day, in compauy, the followiuii question: 
"Is there a greater purity of morals, more simplicity, more 
integrity, more honesty among the Quakers, than any other 
sects?" A man distinguished for his information and his 
attachment to the new constitution, answered me : "I am 
a Presbyterian; but T must declare, that the Quakers excel 
all sects in the qualities you mention." It is not that they 
are all pure and irreproachable ; it is not, that there are 
not some sharpers among them. The reputation of the 
sect, and the advantage that may be made of it, have nat- 
urally brought into it some hypocritical proselytes and 
rascals. A man would counterfeit a guinea rather than a 
halfpenny; but the (Quakers are very strict in expelling 
from tlieir society those who are found guilty, I do not 
say of crimes, but of those breaches of delicacy and probity, 
which the laws do not punish. The public is often ignorant 
of these excommunications; because tlie excommunicated 
niend)er continues to go to their }»ublic meetings on Sun- 
day. He cannot be hindered from this; but he is never 
admitted to tlieir montldy or quarterly meetings. 

LETTER XXXIl 

ox THE .VPPROACHES MADE AGAINST THE QUAKERS 
BY DIFFEllEXT WRITERS 

The s))ectacle of virtue gives pain to the wicked; and 
fliey avenge themselves by decrying it. You must not then 
be suiprised that writers have endeavoured to injure this 
sanctified body. One of those who attempted it with the 
must bitterness, is the author of Recherches sur les Etats 
Tnis. published the beginning of this year. He has dilated, 
in a long chapter, all the calumnies which he had before 
uttered in a letter under the name of one of his country- 
men, printed in the Paris Journal of the sixteenth of 
Xovember, 1780. 



232 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

TbLs author is Mr. Mazzei, an Italian, who resided some 
years in Virginia, and has since settled in France. He 
might naturally, among the planters in Virginia contract 
prejudices against the Quakers; friends of dissipation, of 
luxury, of slavery, of pleasure, and of ostentation, regard 
with an evil eye, a society who preach and practice econ- 
omy and simplicity. Mr. Mazzei is, besides, unacquainted 
with the Quakers, having never lived in their intimacy; 
his testimony then ought to have little weight. He cites 
as his authority, the Virginians and the French military 
officers. 

The French, and especially the French officers, cannot 
in general be good judges in this matter; some of them 
sacrifice too much to the rage of ridicule; others have 
principles too different from the Quakers; and almost all 
of them are superficial observers. 

Yet I must say, in praise of the French army, that they 
always respected the Quakers. The commander in chief 
had made of their meeting-house at Newport, a magazine 
of arms. He gave it up to them on their request. An 
English general would have conducted very differently. 

In another instance, a French officer had quartered 
some soldiers at the house of a Quaker; out of respect to 
their principles, he did not suffer them to doposite tlieir 
arms in the house. 

Among the writers in their favour, are Voltaire, Eay- 
nal, M'Auley, Crevecoeur. What names on this subject 
can be placed in opposition to them? 

In abusing the (Quakers, he is obliged to confess that 
their singular ideas have i-aised them in certain points 
much above other men. 



NOTE — M. de Chastellnx was far from tho^ip pi-iuciplos. Thp cause of 
his prejudice was. tliat at the time when he travelled in America, the Qualiers 
were not treated with respect, iiecaiise they refused to take part in the war. 
He caught the general contaffinn of disliite. witliout ever hearing or seeing: 
any of them : and it was to please tlie pretty, graceful women of Paris, that 
he ridiculed the interior grace of the Qualiers. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 233 

He pretends, likewise, tliat they have defects; and 
where have I denied it? Ubi homines, ihi erunt, vitia, 
says Tacitus. And the Quakers are men. But I say that 
their principles guard them more from vice than those of 
other men. 

Mr. Mazzei confesses, that for economy and application 
to business, their conduct is truly exemplary and worthy 
of praise. It is from these two sources that flow all the 
private and civil virtues; for a man, who by principle is 
economical and attentive to his business, has nothinsr to 
fear from a numerous family. If he has many children, 
he loves tliem ; for lie sees the means of providing for them 
with ease. Such a man is neither a gambler nor a de- 
bauchee. Such a man is a good liusband; for, placing all 
his happiness in domestic life, he is forced to be good, in 
order to be beloved; and he cannot be happy, but by ren- 
dering those happy who are round him. Why did not this 
critic see the consequences that must follow from the truth 
wliich he admits? Why did he not see that it raised them 
above every other sect? For, with others, example, habit, 
or other variable circumstances, may render men economic- 
al and vigilant in business; while every Quaker is so, from 
a principle in his religion ; a principle from which he can- 
not deviate, without ceasing to be a Quaker. Economy and 
industry are with them an essential part of their religion ; 
how much stronger is such a motive than all those which 
produce these in other men ! 

Mr. Mazzei acknowledges, that in hospitality and benef- 
icience they are not inferior to other men. He ought to 
have said they were superior; for charity and hospitality 
flow from economy and easy circumstances. The man who 
has more means, less real wants, and no fantastical ones, 
and wlio really loves his fellow creatures, is necessarily 



234 ^E\\ TRAVELS IN THE 

beneficient aud hospitable; and such is tlie situation and 
•such the character of the Quali;ers. 

But the great reproach that Mr. Mazzei brings upon 
them is, that they are superior 'ji liypocrisy. To judge of 
this accusation, let us see in what hypocrisy consists. 

For a man to pretend to sentiments Avhich he does not 
possess, to virtues which he does not practice — or, in a 
word, to apjiear what he is not, is what is meant by hypoc- 
risy. 

Now are not the Quakers what they appear to be? 
This is the point to be proved. To convict them of religi- 
ous hypocrisy, you must prove that they do not believe in 
the Holy Sjurit, and in the Gospel ; you must prove them 
to 1)0 Iufi<lels or Athiests under the mask of Christianity. 

If moral hypocrisy is intended, you must ju'ove that 
they conceal libertinism, dissipation, and cruelty to their 
families, under the veil of austerity, economy, and appar- 
ent tenderness. Is it political hypocrisy?. You must then 
prove that they wish secretly for places and dignities, 
Avhich they have renounced; that they long to massacre 
their fellow creatures, while tliey profess a horror for the 
efTnsiou of human blood ; that they are really selfish, under 
the mask of friends and benefactors to the human race; 
that they are proud and haughty, under the appearance of 
simplicity. 

In a Mord, hypocrisy is a vague term ; and as long as 
it is not applied to facts, it signifies nothing. It does not 
suffice for its justification, to say, that the Quakers are 
Protestant Jesuits. 

This is but a new calumny, as vague as the other. I 
ask for facts. If the Quakers resemble the Jesuits in mild- 
ness, indulgence, tolerance, and the art of persuasion, it is 
to resemble them on the virtuous side. Jlr. ISIazzei says, 
they do not resemble them in everv thing, and he thus 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 235 

eff;ues what M. de Chastellux luul waulouly advauced ou 
this charge. 

I am uot astouislied that the Quakers have the art of 
persnasinii. Tliev have possessed it for a hundred and 
tift.v years; wliirh is a proof, that they merit tlie public 
confidence; they must have h)st it liad they been charle- 
tans or liypocrites. 

Tlie ci'y of liypocrisy is iienerally set up against the 
most grave and religious sects, and by those men who are 
seeking to justify their own corruption. It seems, that 
having renounced all virtues, they like not to take the 
trouble to feign them ; or perhaps to get rid of the weight 
of esteem which is due to virtue, they calculate, that it is 
easier to deny its existence. 

M. IMazzei accuses the Quakers of want of punctuality 
and equity in their commerce; he adds, that it is their 
national character. Observe, my friend, that neither Maz- 
zei nor Chastellux adduces a single fact, nor a singb^ 
authority for this assertion. It must then be a pure cal- 
umny. If this was the character of the Quakers, would 
facts be wanting to prove it? 

I have too often heard rei)eated this accusation of knav- 
ery against them; I have, with the greatest care, consulted 
English and Americans of all sects, and French merchants 
who have dealings ■with them; and I have not been able 
to hear of a single fact as an instance of dishonesty. The 
worst that has been told me. is, that they are cunning, 
strict, and inflexible; that they have no respect for persons 
or sects. I was told too, as M. iVIazzei has printed, that 
they understand very well how to sell, that they sell dear. 
T have showed in my answer to Chastellux, the absurdity 
of any reproach like this. To understand flie art of sell- 
ing does not supi)Ose a. want of probity; it is the spirit of 
commerce; I will say more, it is the general character 



236 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

of the Americans ; they are artful ; I will explain the cause 
of it hereafter. 

Mr. Bingham, one of the most opulent citizens of Phila- 
delphia, and one who, from his ostentation and luxury, 
cannot be very favourable to the Quakers, spoke of them 
to me in the highest praise. He said, that they were ex- 
tremely punctual in fulfilling their engagements, and that 
they never live beyond their income. 

And this will explain the common saying that you so 
often hear repeated at Philadelphia, that the Quakers are 
so cunning that the Jews themselves cannot live among 
them. Usurious Jews can never live among economical 
men, who have no need of borrowing money at enormous 
interest; for a similar reason, a seller of pork cannot live 
among Jews. 

M. Mazzci accuses the Quakers of a desire of gain ; 
though he is not so formal in this accusation as M. de 
Chastellux. I wdll take this opportunity to make a remark 
on this common reproach, with whicli it is so fashionable 
to revile, not only the Quakers, but commercial people in 
general. 

The author of Philosophical Travels in England says, 
"We are luckily exempted in France from that spirit of 
avarice, that desire of gain ; and we owe this exemption to 
the pride of a numerous body of nobles." — More luckily, 
however, we are at present exempted from this very useful 
body. But I would ask this noble traveller, with what 
spirit these honourable nobles beg and fawn for lucrative 
places and pensions? With what spirit do they engage, 
under borrowed names, in all speculations and stock- 
jobbing? With what spirit do they require large grati- 
fications for their patronage, secret bribes from the Farm- 
ers-General, and a. covered interest in every enterprise 
that is carried on in the kingdom? Is this the same spirit; 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 237 

or is it better or worse tbau tlie desire of gain wliicb ap- 
pears to tbem so vile iu a mercbaut? lu two respects tliese 
meu jire infinitely below tbe mercbant; iu tbe bypocrisy 
of pretending to despise a metal wbiob tliey burn to pos- 
sess, and iu tbe use wbicb tbey make of it. iloney gained 
in commerce, is generally employed iu extending com- 
merce and useful speculations; money gained by a noble, 
is spent in luxury, vanity, debaucbery, and creating new 
poisons in society. 

Tbe desire of gain in a mercbaut, consists in amassing 
wealtb, in preserving it, and iu watching over bis atfairs 
with a constant attention. Sucb then is the crime of tbe 
(.Quakers. But in reproacbing tbem with it, we ought to 
consider attentively the circumstances of that society; 
their religious principles exclude them from all ambitions 
views, from all places and employments; they must then 
attend wholly to their industry, to the support and estab- 
lishment of their children. Tbey have, therefore, more 
need of amassing property than other citizens, who may 
find tbe means of placing their children in public ofifices, 
in the army, tbe navy, or the church. 

Finally, the Quakers, having renounced the occupations 
or intrigue, of amusements, and even of literature and the 
sciences, must be occupied wholly in business; and conse- 
quently appear more vigilant, that is, in the language of 
lazy nobility, more avaricious. 

M. Mazzei agrees, that the Quakers are virtuous; but 
does not allow them to rank in this respect above other 
sects. He believes, that other sects have produced men aa 
perfect as this. I believe it as well as he; the image of 
Fenelon gives me as agreeable an impression as that of 
Fothergill or Benezet. But I maintain — 1st, that the sect 
of the Quakers, in proportion to their number, has pro- 
duced more of these prodigies. 2d, that no sect presents 



238 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

to us a totality so perfect and harmonious, and au assem- 
blage of men so puie and virtuous, or so coustant a series 
of great and good actions. To prove this last assertion, 
I will only call to your mind the emancipation of slaves, 
executed by them with unanimity, with the same spirit, 
and followed by numerous efforts to abolish slavery, and 
to meliorate and educate the blacks. Let any one cite to 
me in all other sects a similar instance of disinterested- 
ness and humanity. Let a sect be mentioned, which, like 
this, has made it a law never to take any part either in 
privateering,* or in contraband trade, even in a foreign 
country ; for they will not tempt a foreigner to violate the 
laAvs of his own country. 

During the last war, the Quakers passed a resolution, 
that whoever of their society should pay a debt in paper 
money (then depreciated) should be excommunicated; 
while, at that tiuie, it was a crime to doubt of the good- 
ness of this paper; and the Quakers, like all other citizens, 
were obliged to receive it from their debtors at the nominal 
value. 

LETTER XXXIII 

THE EXTENT OF THE SOCHOTY OF QUAKERS, THEIR RELIGIOUS 
PRINCIPLES_, ETC. 

A Society, simple in its manners, economcial, and de- 
voted principally to agriculture and commerce, must neces- 
sarily increase with great rapidity. Pennsylvania may be 
considered as the mother country of the Quakers, who form 
a majority of its population. They are numerous in the 
States of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Rhode 
Island ; some in New Hampshire and Jfassachusetts. Many 
of the Quakers have planted their tabernacles in that de- 



•I ought to mention the conduct of a Quaker, who. In the last war re 
stored to the orliflnal owner, his part of a prize accidentally taken bT a mer- 
chant's ehlp. In which he was Interested. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 239 

liglitful vallej' which is washed by the Shenadore, beyond 
the first chaiu of mouutaius. They have uo slaves; they 
employ negroes as hired servants, aud have renounced the 
culture of tobacco ; aud this valley is observed as the best 
cultivated part of \'irgiuia. 

They liave pushed their settlements liivcwise into the 
two Carolinas and Georgia. They are beginning estab- 
lishments near tlie Uhio, and have a considerable one al- 
ready at Redstone, on the Monongahela. 

It is to be wished, for the happiness of the Indians, and 
the peace of America, that all the planters of the frontiers 
possessed the pacific principles of the C^ualiers; a lasting 
union would soon be formed Iietween them; and blood 
would no louger stain tlie furrows whicli American indus- 
try traces in the forests. 

The religion of the Quakers is the simplest imaginable. 
It consist in tlie voice of conscience, the internal senti- 
ment, tlie divine instinct, wliich, in their opinion, God 
has imparted to every one. Tiiis instinct, thLs light, this 
grace, which every person brings into the world with him, 
appears to them the only guide necessary for the conduct 
of life. But to understand the guide, it is necessary to 
know it; to be known, it should often be interrogated. 
Hence the necessity of frequent meditations; hence the 
nullity of all formal worship, and the ministration of 
priests ; for they consider forms as so many obstacles, 
which turn the attention from the voice witliin; aud 
priests possessing no more of the Divine Spirit than other 
men, cannot supply the want of meditation. 

I liave sliown in my Critique on the Travels of Chastel- 
lux, how much tliis meditative worshijt of the Deity is 
superior to the mechanical worship of other sects. I have 
proved that the man who adores his Creator by meditating 
on his own duties, will necessarily become good, tolerant. 



240 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

just and beueficient. You have here the key both of the 
moral character of the Quakers, aud of its extraordinary 
duration. Their virtue is an habit, a second nature. 

The Quakers have been muc?h ridiculed for their belief 
in this interior jirinciple. For their calumniators, some 
of whom have called themselves philosophers, are ignorant 
that this belief is not peculiar to the Quakers. We find 
it in a great number of stages, who have merited the hom- 
age of mankind. With Pythagoras, it was the Eternal 
Word, the Great Light — with Anaxagoras, the Divine Soul 
— with Socrates, the Good Spirit, or Demon — with Timeus, 
the Uncreated Principle — with Hieron, the Author of De- 
light, the God within the Man — with Plato, the eternal in- 
effable and perfect Principle of Truth — with Zeno, the 
Creator and Father of all — and with Plotinus, the Koot 
of the Soul. When these philosophers endeavoured to 
characterize the influence of this principle within us, they 
used correspondent expressions. Hieron called it a domes- 
tic God, an internal God — Secrates and Timeus, the Gen- 
ius or Angel — Plotinus, the Divine Principle of Man — and 
Plato, the Rule of the Soul, the Internal Guide, the Foun- 
dation of Virtue. 

I do not pretend to explain to you all the religious 
principles of the Quakers ; this would lead me too far ; not 
that their dogmas are very numerous, for their doctrine is 
more simple and more concise than their morals. But this 
article, as well their history, ought to be treated at large. 
I can assure you, that all the French authors who have 
written on them, without excepting Voltaire, have been 
ignorant of the true sources of information. They have 
contented themselves with seizing the objects to which they 
could give a cast of ridicule, and have thrown aside every 
thing that could render that society respectable. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 241 

Oue iiiviohible practice of tlieirs, for instance, is, never 
to dispute about dogmas. They liave cut off an endless 
cliaiu of disputations, by not admitting the autliority eitiiei' 
of tlie Old or New Testament to be superior to that of the 
internal principle, and by not hiring a class of men for tiie 
sole purpose of disputing and tyranizing, under the pre- 
text of instructing. What torrents of blood would have 
been spared, if the Catholics and Protestants had adopted 
a rule of conduct so wise; if instead of quarrelling about 
unintelligible words, about writings that ma\- be changed, 
about the authority of the Church and the Pope, they had 
believed in the internal Spirit, which for each individnal 
may be the secret guide! This guide has little concern 
with dogmas, and much with morals. 

Among the political principles of the Quakers, the most 
i-enuirkable are, never to take an oath, and never to take 
iirnis. I shall speak of the latter iu an article by itself; 
as to their refusing to take an oath, it may be said, that an 
oath adds no weight to the declarations of an honest man ; 
and perjury has no terrors for a knave. 

Their discipline is as simple as their doctrine. In their 
marriages, their births, and interments, they use only the 
forms necessary to verify the existence of the fact. 

A Quaker cannot marry a person of another sect; I 
asked the reason of this; as it appeared to me a sign of 
intolerance. "The preservation of our society," replied 
a Quaker, "depends on the preservation of the customs 
which distinguish us from other men. This singularity 
forces us to be more honest; and if we should unite our 
families with strangers, who are not of our society, indi- 
viduals would swerve from our usages, and confound them 
with others. A Quaker woman who should marry a Pres- 
byterian, .submits herself to tlie authority of a man over 

16 



242 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

wbom we have no influence; and the society subsists only 
by this domestic, voluntary, and reciprocal influence." 

This influence is directed by their different assemblies. 
The monthly assemblies are in general com^josed of several 
neighbouring congi'egations. Their functions are to provide 
for the subsistence of the poor, and the education of their 
children; to examine the new converts, and prove their 
morals; to sustain the zeal and the religion of otliers; to 
hear and judge their faults by means of superintendents ap- 
pointed for this purpose; to decide and settle any dispute 
that maj arise either between Quakers, or between a 
Quaker and a stranger, provided the latter will submit to 
tlieir arbitrament. This last object is one of the most im- 
portant ; it prevents that cruel scourge so ravaging in other 
countries, the scourge of lawyers, the source of so much 
corruption, and the cause of such .scandalous divisions. 
This custom must be of great advantage to strangers who 
live iu the neighbourhood of Quakers. The society excom- 
municates a member who will not submit to this arbitra- 
tion. 

Appeals are sometimes carried from the monthly to the 
quarterly assemblies ; the principlal business of the latter, 
is to superintend the operations of the former. 

But the superiutendance of the whole society belongs 
to the annual assemblies. These receive reports from the 
inferior bodies respecting the state of all parts of the so- 
ciety, give their advice, make regulations, judge defini- 
tively on the appeals from the lower assemblies, and write 
letters to each other, in order to maintain a fraternal cor- 
respondence. 

There are seven annual assemblies. One at London, to 
which the Quakers in Ireland send deputies; one in New 
England, one at New York, one for Pennsylvania and New 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 243 

Jersey, one iu Marylaud, one iu Virginia, one for the two 
Carolinas and Georgia. 

As the Quakers believe that women may be called to 
the ministry as well as men, and as there are certain ai*- 
ticles of discipline which only concern the women, and the 
observance of -which can be superintended only by them, 
they have likewise their monthly, quarterly, and annual 
meetings. But they have not the right to make regula- 
tions. This method is much more proper to maintain mor- 
als among women, than that of our Catholic Confessors; 
which subjects the feeble sex to the artifice, the fancies, 
and the empire of particular men ; which opens the door to 
the most scandalous scenes, and often carries inquisition 
and dissension into the bosom of families. 

The Quakers have no salaried priests; their ministers 
are such men as are the most remarkable for their zeal ; 
they speak the most frequently in their meetings; but all 
persons, male and female, have an equal right to speak 
whenever they feel an inclination. 

These ministers, with some approved elders, hold 
monthly meetings, by themselves, for their own instruc- 
tion. In these meetings they revise and order to be printed, 
such works as they choose to have distributed; and they 
never fail to take such measures, as that useful works 
should be sold at a low price. 

In all these assemblies, some of which are very numer- 
ous, they have no president, and no person who has the 
least authority. Yet the greatest order and harmony are 
always observed. You never hear two persons speak at 
once in any of their most interesting deliberations. 

But what will surprise you more is, that in their numer- 
ous assemblies, nothing is decided but by unanimity. Each 
member has a kind of suspensive negative. lie has only to 



244 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

say, I have not cleai'ness; the question is then adjourned, 
and not decided till every member is agreed. 

This usage appears to me highly lionoralde to the so- 
ciety; it proves a wonderful union among this band of 
brothers; it proves that the same spirit animates them, the 
spirit of reason, of truth, and of the public good. Deliber- 
ative assemblies in general, would not be subject to such 
long and violent discussions, if, like the Quakers, they 
were disengaged from all personal ambition, and if, to 
resolve doubts, the members addressed themselves only to 
the consciences of men. 

You will, perhaps, conclude from this, that this so- 
ciety can do but little business. This will be a mistake; 
no society does more for the public good. It is owing to 
them, that Philadelphia has hitherto been preserved from 
the danger of theatres. Their petition this year, to prevent 
permission being obtained to erect one, has been success- 
ful. 

A thorough knowledge of the Quakers, my friend, is not 
to be obtained by going, like Chastellux, for an hour into 
one of their churches. Enter into their houses; you will 
find them the abodes of peace, harmony, gentleness, and 
frugality; tenderness to children, humanity to servants. 
Go into their hospitals; you will there see the more touch- 
ing effects of cliarity, in their unexampled cleanliness, in 
their aliments, in their beds, and in their scrupulous at- 
tentions. Visit the asylums of old age and decrepitude; 
you will find the cloth and linen of the poor, as decent as 
that of their benefactors. Each one has his chamber, and 
enjoys not only the necessaries, but many of the agreeables 
of life. 

If you would quit the town, and run over the farms of 
the Quakers, you will discover a greater degree of neatness, 
order, and care, among these cultivators, than among any 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 245 

otbcr. If Tou examiue the iuterior organization of the 
sofiet}', you will find, in every church, a treasui'y for char- 
ity, containing more or less money, according to the wealth 
of the congi'egation. This is employed in assisting young 
tradesmen, in succouring those who have failed in business 
through misfortune, those who have suffered by fire and 
other accidents. You will find many rich persons among 
them, wlio make it a constant rule to give to this treasury 
one-tenth of their revenue. 

I am persuaded, my friend, that, after having well ex- 
amined this society under all these details, you would cry 
out. If tomorrow I were reduced to poverty, and to be 
destitute of the succour of my friends, God grant that I 
might finish my days in a Quaker hospital ; if tomorrow 
I were to become a farmer, let me have members of this 
socety for my neighbours; they would instruct me by their 
example and advice, and they would never vex me with 
law-suits. 

LETTER XXXIV 

THE REFUS.VL OF QUAKERS TO TAKE ANY 
PART IN WAR 

These wise men have seen that the great basis of uni- 
versal happiness must be universal peace; and that lo 
open the way to that peace, we must pronounce an anatli- 
ema against the art of war. Sacred writings have taught 
us to believe, that the lime will come when nation shall 
no more lift the sword against nation; and to lead to the 
accomplishment of so consoling a prophecy, this people 
believe that example is more powerful than words; that 
kings will always find the secret of ]»erpetuating wars, 
as long as they can hire n>en to murder each other; and 
that it is their duty, as a society, to resolve never to take 
arms, or contribute to the px;iences of any war. They have 



J 



246 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

been tormented, robbed, imprisoned, and martyred; they 
have suffered every thing; till tyranny itself, wearied with 
their perseverance, has exempted them from military ser- 
vice, and has been driven to indirect measures, to force 
contributions from their hands. 

What then would become of our heroes and our con- 
querors, our Fredericks and our Potemkins, if all religious 
sects had adopted the same pacific spirit, and no man 
could be found, who Mould consent to be trained like an 
•automaton to the infernal art of killing his fellow crea- 
tures. 

If we wish for the happiness of mankiud, let us pray, 
that this society may cover the whole globe; or let us en- 
deavor, at least, that their humane principles be adopted 
by all men. Then would be realized that universal peace, 
which the Quakers have already realised in countries where 
they have borne the sway. 

In Pennsylvania, they found the secret of defending 
themselves from the scourge of military slaughter, till the 
war of 1755, between France and England. Though min- 
gled with the Indians, never any quarrels rose among 
them, which led to the spilling of blood. 

The government of England, with all its manoeuvres, 
could never engage the Quakers to give any assistance in 
this war. They not only refused this, but they resigned 
all the places which they had held in the government of 
the colony ; for it was before almost entirely in their hands ; 
and such was their economy, that the produce of the cus- 
tom-house, and a small excise, were always sufficient to 
defray the public expences ; so that no other tax was known 
in the colony. 

The war of 1755 changed this order of things, and oc- 
casioned heavy expences, which the colonies were obliged 
to pay. The Quakers were subjected to them, as well as 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 247 

others ; but they not only refused, as a society, to pay taxes, 
of which war was the object, l)ut they excummunicated 
those who paid them. They persevered in this practice in 
the last war. 

At this time an animosity was kindled against them, 
which is not yet extinguished. Faithful to their principles, 
they declared, that they would take no part in this war, 
and they excommunicated all such as joined either the 
American or the British army. 

I ain well convinced of the sacred and divine principle 
which authorises resistance to oppression; and I am well 
convinced, that oppression was here nmnifest; I must there- 
fore blame the neutrality of the (^>nalvers on this occasion, 
when their brethren were fighting for independence. But 
I believe, likewise, that it was wrong to persecute tliem 
so violently for their pacific neutrality. 

If this instance of refusal had been the first of the kind, 
or if it had been dictated by a secret attachment to the 
British cause, certainly they would have been guilty, and 
this persecution would jierliaps liave been legitimate. But 
this neutrality was commanded by their religions oitin- 
ions, constantly professed, and practised by the society 
from its origin. 

No person has spoken to me with more imi)artiality 
respecting the Quakers than (Jeneral Washington, that 
celebrated man, whose spirit of justice is remarkable in 
every thing. He declared to me, that, in the course of the 
war, he had entertained an ill opinion of this society; he 
knew but little of them ; as at that time there were but 
few of that sect in Virginia; and he had attributed to their 
political sentiments, the effect of their religious princi- 
ples. He told me, that having since known them better, 
he acquired an esteem for them, and tliat considering the 
simplicity of their manners, the purity of their morals, 



248 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

tlieir exemplary economy, and their attachment to tlie 
constitution, he considered this society as one of the best 
supports of the new government, which requires a gi'eat 
moderation, and a total banishment of luxury. 

It was not under this point of view that they were re- 
garded by the Congress, which laid the foundation of Amer- 
ican independence. This Congress joined their i)erspcu- 
tors, and banished some of their most noted leaders In 
Staunton, in Virginia, two hundred miles from their fami- 
lies. My friend, IMyers Fisher, was of the numl)er. M. 
Mazzei quotes the violent Address published by Paine 
against them, but takes care not to quote the answer m;ide 
to it l)y Fisher. But such is the logic of this calumniator 
of the Quakers. Since the peace, they have been subjected 
to another kind of vexation. Each citizen, fi-om sixteen to 
tiftv-fivp years of age, is obliged by law to serve in the 
militia, or to pay a fine. The Quakers will not serve nor 
pay the fine. The collector, whose duty it is to levy it, 
enters their houses, takes their furniture, and sells it; and 
the Quakers peaceably submit. 

Tliis method gives great encouragement to knavery. 
(Collectors have been known to take goods to the amount of 
six times the fine, to sell for a shilling what was worth a 
pound, never to return the surplus, nor even to pay the 
state, but afterwards become bankrupts. Tlieir successors 
would then come and demand the fine already paid; but 
the Quakers have complained of these abuses to the legis- 
lature, and an act is passed suspending these collections 
till September 17S9.. 

It would l)e very easy to reconcile the wants of the state, 
and the duty of the Quakers. You might subject them only 
to pacific taxes, and require them to pay a larger propor- 
tion of them. This is already done in Virginia, in abolisli- 
ing, with respect to them, tlie militia service. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 249 

With tliis view of their cliaracter, voii will agree with 
me, my friend, that our government ought to hasten to 
naturalize this purity in France. Their example niiglit 
serve to regenerate our manners; witliont wliich we cannot 
certainly preserve our liberty for a long time, though we 
should be able to acquire it. The Catholic religion, which 
])redomiuates in France, can be no objection to it; for the 
(Quakers hate no sect, but are friendly to all. They have 
ever lived in particular harmony with the Catholics of 
rennsylvania and ^Maryland. James I*end)erton told me, 
that in tlie war of 1740, he knew a mob of fanatical Pres- 
byterians, with axes in their hands, going to destroy a 
('atholic chapel. Ten or twelve Quakers stopped them, ex- 
horted them, and they dispersed without effecting their 
design. 

Living in harmony with all other sects, they pi'eserve 
no resentment against tlie a]>ostates from their own, not- 
withstanding the troubles a\ hich they experienced from 
them. Reason is the only weapon which they use. 

PosTSCKiPT Written in 1790 
If the (dd government had an interest in inviting Quak- 
ers to France, tliis interest is douliled since tlie Revolutitm. 
Tlie spirit of that i^ociety agi'ees with the spirit of French 
liberty in the following particulars: 

That Society has made great establishments without 
effusion of blood; the National Assembly has renounced 
the idea of conquest, which is almost universally the cause 
of war. That Society practices universal tolerance; the 
Assembly ordains it. The Society observes simplicity of 
worship; the Assend)ly leads to it. The Society jn'actises 
good morals which are the strongest supports of a free 
government; the political regeneration of France, which 
the Assembly is about to consummate, conducts necessa- 
rily to a regeneration of morals. 



250 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

If the French are armed from North to South, it is for 
liberty, it is for the terror of despotism, it is to obey the 
commands of God ; for God has willed that man should be 
free; since he has endowed him with reason; he has willed 
that he should use all efforts to defend himself from that 
tyranny which defaces the only image of Diety in man, his 
virtues and his talents. 

But notwithstanding this ardor in the French to arm 
themselves in so holy a cause; they do not less respect the 
religious opinions of the Quakers, which forbid them to 
spill the blood of their enemies. This error of their hu- 
manity is so charming, that it is almost as good as a truth. 
We are all striving for the same object, universal frater- 
nity; the Quakers by gentleness, we by resistance. Their 
means are those of a society, ours those of a powerful na- 
tion. 

LETTER XXXV 

JOURNEY TO MOUNT VERNON IN VIRGINI.\ 

On the 15th of November, 1788, I set out from Phila- 
delphia for Wilmington, distance twenty-eight miles, and 
road tolerably good. The town of Chester, fifteen miles 
from Philadelphia, is a place where strangers like to rest. 
It stands on a creek, which falls into the Delaware. It 
enjoys some commerce, and the taverns here are good. 

Wilmington is much more considerable; it stands like- 
wise on a creek near the Delaware; the basis of its com- 
merce is the exportation of flour. One mile above Wil- 
mington, you pass the town of Brandywine; the name of 
which wUl call to your mind a famous battle gained by the 
English over the Americans, eight miles from this towTi, on 
a river of the same name. This town is famous for its 
fine mills; the most considerable of which is a paper- 
mill belonging to Mr. Gilpin and Myers Fisher, that 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 251 

worthy orator and man of science, whom I have often men- 
tioned. Their process in making paper, especially in grind- 
ing the rags, is much more simple than onrs. I have seen 
specimens of their paper, both for writing and printing, 
equal to the finest made in France. 

Wilmington is a handsome town, well-built, and prin- 
cipally inhabited by Quakers. I have seen many respect- 
able persons among them, particularly Doctor Way. The 
celebrated Mr. Dickinson, who resides here, was, unfor- 
tunately for me, out of town. 

I passed two evenings in company with Miss Vining, 
that amiable woman, whom the licentious pen of Chastel- 
lux has calumniated, as having too much taste for galan- 
try. If we believe the testimony of all her acquaintance, 
this trait wliich he has given her is an inexcusable libel. 
The Quakers themselves, to whom her gaiety cannot be 
pleasing, declare that her conduct has been uniformly irre- 
proachable. But I believe, that this malicious and coward- 
ly shaft, hurled in security from the other side of the At- 
lantic, lias essentially injured her. 

At nine miles from Wilmington, I past Cliristine 
Bridge, a place of some commerce. Fi'om thence to the 
bead of Elk, you see but few plantations, you run through 
eight miles of woods, only meeting with a few log houses, 
when jon arrive at Henderson's tavern, a very good inn, 
alone in the midst of vast forests. It is twenty-two miles 
from thence to the ferry of the Susquehannah. The town 
here is called Havre de Grace, a name given it by a French- 
man who laid the foundation of the town. It is at present 
an irregular mass of about 150 houses; but there is no 
doubt, when the entrance of the river shall be rendered 
nagivable, but this will be an interesting situation, and a 
populous town. Here is a charming garden belonging to 
the proprietor of the ferry, from which I had a delicious 



252 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

prospect of that uiaguificcMit river; wliioh in this place is 
more tbau a mile and a half wide, interspersed with is- 
lands. From thence to Baltimore are reckoned sixty miles. 
The road in general is frightful, it is over a clay soil, full 
of deep ruts, always in the midst of forests; frequently 
obstructed by trees overset by the wind, which obliged us 
to seek a new passage among the woods. I cannot conceive 
why the stage does not often overset. Both the drivers and 
their horses discover great skill and dexterity, being ac- 
customed to these roads. 

But why are they not repaired? Overseers of the roads 
are indeed appointed, and tines are sometimes pronounced 
on delinquencies of this kind; but they are ill collected. 
Every thing is here degraded; it is one of the effects of 
slavery. The slave works as little as possible ; and the mas- 
ter, eager of vile enjoyments, finds other occupations than 
sending his negroes to repair the roads. 

Some vast fields of Indian corn, but bad cultivation, 
pale faces worn by the fever and ague, naked negroes, and 
miserable huts, are the most striking images offered to the 
eye of the traveller in Maryland. 

We arrived at Baltimore in the night ; but I viewed this 
town on my return. It contains near two thousand houses; 
and fourteen thousand inhabitants. It is irregularly built, 
and on land but little elevated above the surface of Pataps- 
co Bay, on the North of which it forms a crescent. The 
bay is not sufficiently deep to receive the largest ships; 
they anchor near Fell's Point, two miles from the centre 
of the town. There are still stagnant waters in the town ; 
few of the streets are paved ; and the great quantities of 
mud after rain, announce that the air must be unhealth- 
ful; but ask the inhabitants, and they will tell you, no. 
You may say here, like the Swiss, in the heat of a battle, 
"If you believe these people, nobody can die here!" 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 253 

Baltimore was a village befure tlie war; hut during 
that period, a consideral)le portion of the commerce of 
Philadelphia was removed to tliis place. The greatest ships 
come as far as here, and can go no farther; vast quantities 
of provisions descend the Susquehaunah, and when that 
river shall be navigable, Baltimore must be a very consider- 
able port. 

The quarrel about federalism divided the town at the 
time I was in it; and the two parties almost came to blows 
on the election of their representatives. 

We left Baltimore for Alexandria at four in tlie morn- 
ing; distant about sixty miles, bad roads, a rude waggon, 
excellent horses, skillful conductors, poor cultivation, mis- 
erable huts, and miserable negroes. 

They showed me a plantation belonging to a (Juaker; 
there were no slaves upon it. I saw Brushtown, a new 
village that the State of Maryland has pointed out for 
the seat of a college. This edifice is nearly completed; it 
is on an eminence, and enjoys a good air. We breakfasted 
in this village, and dined at Bladensbury, sixteen miles 
from Alexandria. It is situated on a little river, which 
discharges into the Potowmack, and which admits Bateaus 
of twenty or thirty tons. We could find nothing to drink, 
but brandj' or rum mixed with water. In countries culti- 
vated by slaves, there is no industry and no domestic econ- 
omy. The people know not the advantage of making beer 
or cider on their farms. 

George-town terminates the State of Maryland ; it over- 
looks the Potowmack, has an agreeable situation, and a 
cfmsiderable commerce. Regulations and imposts, incon- 
siderately laid on commerce by the State of Virginia, have 
banished to George-town a considerable part of the com- 
merce of Alexandria. 



254 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

This place is eight miles below George-town, on the 
opposite side of the Potowniack. Alexandria has grown 
from nothing to its present size within these forty years. 
It is not so considerable as Baltimore, which it ought to 
surpass. It is almost as irregular and as destitute of pave- 
ments. You see here a greater parade of luxury; servants 
with silk stockings in boots, women elegantly dressed, and 
their heads adorned with feathers. 

The inhabitants, at the close of the war, imagined that 
every natural circumstance conspired to render it a great 
commercial town, — the salubrity of the air, the profundity 
of the river admitting the largest ships to anchor near the 
quay, an immense extent of back country, fertile and 
abounding in provisions. They have therefore built on 
every side, commodious store-houses, and elegant wharfs; 
but commerce still languishes on account of the restraints 
above mentioned. 

I hastened to arrive at Mount Vernon, the seat of Gen- 
eral Washington, ten miles below Alexandria on the same 
river. On this rout you traverse a considerable wood, and 
after having passed over two hills, you discover a country 
house of an elegant and majestic simplicity. It is preceded 
by grass plats; on one side of the avenue are the stables, 
on the other a green-house, and houses for a number of 
negroe mechanics. In a spacious back yard are turkies, 
geese, and other poultry. This house overlooks the Potow- 
mack, enjoys an extensive prospect, has a vast and elevated 
portico on the front next the river, and a convenient distri- 
bution of the apartments within. The General came home 
in the evening, fatigued with having been to lay out a new 
road in some part of his plantations. You have often heard 
him compared to Cincinnatus ; the comparison is doubtless 
just. This celebrated General is nothing more at present 
than a good farmer, constantly occupied in the care of his 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 255 

farm aud the improvement of cultivation. He has lately 
built a barn, one hundred feet in length and considerably 
more in breadth, destined to receive the productions of his 
farm, and to shelter his cattle, horses, asses, and mules. 
It is built on a plan sent him by that famous EnglLsh 
farmer Ai'thur Young. But the General has much im- 
proved the plan. This building is in brick, it cost but three 
hundred pounds; I am sure in France it would have cost 
three thousand. He plante<l this yeai" eleven hundred 
bushels of potatoes. All this is new in Virginia, where they 
know not the use of barns, and where they lay up no pro- 
visions for their cattle. His three hundred negi-oes are 
distributed in different log houses, in different parts of his 
plantation, which in this neighbourhood consists of ten 
thousand acres- Colonel Humphreys, that poet of whom 
I have spoken, assured me that the General possesses, in 
different parts of the country, more than two hundred 
thousand acres. 

Every thing has an air of simplicity in his house; his 
table is good, but not ostentatious; and no deviation is seen 
from regularity and domestic economy. Mrs. Washington 
superintends the whole, and join.s to the qualities of an 
excellent house-wife, that simple dignity which ought to 
characterize a woman, whose husband has acted the great- 
est part on the theatre of human affairs; while she pos- 
sesses tliat amenity, and manifests that attention to stran- 
gers, which render hospitality so charming. The same vir- 
tues are conspicuous in her interesting niece; but unhap- 
pily she appears not to enjoy good health. 

M. de Chastellux has mingled too much of the brilliant 
in his portrait of (Jeneral Washington. His eye bespeaks 
great goodness of heart, manly sense marks all his answers, 
and lie sometimes animates in conversation, but he has no 
characteristic features ; which renders it difficult to seize 



250 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

liiiii. He anuoiincos a profouud discretion, and a great dif- 
fidence in himself; but at the same time, an unshakable 
firmness of character, when once he has made his decision. 
His modesty is astonishing to a Frenchman ; he speaks 
of the American war, and of his victories, as of things in 
which he had no direction. 

He spoke to me of M. de la Payette with the greatest 
tenderness. He regarded him as his child; and foresaw, 
with a joy mixed with inciuietude, the part that this pupil 
was going to act in the approaching revolution of France. 
He could not predict, with clearness, the event of this 
revolution. If, on the one side, he acknowledges the ardor 
and enthusiasm of the French character, on the other, he 
saw an astonishing veneration for their ancient govern- 
ment, and for those mouarchs whose inviolability appeared 
to him a strange idea. 

After passing three days in the house of this celebrated 
man, who loaded me with kindness, and gave me much in- 
formation relative to the late war, and the present situa- 
tion of the United States, I returned to Alexandria. 

LETTER XXXVI 

GENER.VL OBSERVATIONS ON MARYI>.\XD 
AND VIRGINIA 

The Bay of Chesapeak divides Maryland into two parts, 
nearly equal. The western division is the most peopled. 
Numerous bays and navigable rivers render this state sin- 
gularly commodious for commerce. It woidd soon become 
extremely flourishing if slavery were banished from it, if 
a more advantageous culture were substituted to that of 
tobacco, and if the spirit of the Catholic religion had not 
adulterated the taste for order, regularity, and severity 
of manners which characterize the other sects, and which 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 257 

have so great au iutlueuce iu civil and political economy. 
The people of this sect were well attached to the late Revo- 
lution. 

Cotton is cultivated iu Maryland, as in Virginia; but 
little care is taken to perfect either its culture or its manu- 
facture. You see excellent lauds in these two states ; but 
they have very few good meadows, though these might be 
made in abundance. For want of attention and labor, the 
inhabitants make but little hay ; and what they have is not 
good. They likewise ueglect the cultivation of potatoes, 
carrots, and turuips for their cattle, of which their neigh- 
bours of the north make gTeat use. Their cattle are left 
without shelter in winter, and nourished with the tops of 
Indian corn. Of consequence many of them die with cold 
and hunger; and those that survive the winter, are miser- 
ably meagre. 

They have much perfected in this country the English 
method of inoculation for the small-pox. In the manner 
practised here, it is very little dangerous. General Wash- 
ington assured me, that he makes it a practice to have all 
his negroes inoculated, and that he never lost one in the 
operation. Whoever inoculates in Virginia, is obliged, by 
law, to give information to his neighbours within the space 
of two miles. 

The population augments every where in these States, 
notwithstanding the great emigration to the Ohio. The 
horses of Virginia are, without contradiction, the finest in 
the country; but they bear double the price of those in the 
northern States. The practice of races, borrowed from the 
English by the Virginians, is fallen into disuse. The places 
renowned for this business are all abandoned; and it is 
not a misfortune; they are places of gambling, drunken- 
ness, and quarrels. 



258 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

The General informed me, that he could perceive a great 
reformation in his countrymen in this respect; that they 
are less given to intoxication, that it is no longer fashion- 
able for a man to force his guests to drink, and to make 
it an honor to send them home drunk ; that you hear no 
longer the taverns resounding with those noisy parties 
formerly so frequent; that the sessions of the courts of 
justice were no longer the theatres of gambling, inebria- 
tion, and blood; and that the distinction of classes begins 
to disappear. 

The towns in Virginia are but small ; this may be said 
even of Richmond with its capitol. This capitol turns the 
heads of the Virginians; they imagine, that from this, like 
the old Romans, they shall one day give law to the whole 
north. 

There is a glass manufactory forty miles from Alexan- 
dria, which exported last year to tlie amount of ten thou- 
sand pounds of glass; and notwithstanding the general 
character of indolence in this State, the famous canal of 
the Potowmack advances with rapidity. Crimes are more 
frequent in Virginia than in the northern States. This 
results from the unequal division of pi'operty, and from 
slavery. 

Wherever you find luxury, and especially a miserable 
luxury, there provisions, even of the first necessity, will be 
dear. I experienced this in ^'irgiuia. At a tavern there 
I paid a dollar for a supper, which in Pennsylvania would 
have cost me two shillings, in Connecticut one. Porter, 
wine, and every article, bear an excellent price here. Yet 
this dearness is owing in part to other causes hereafter to 
be explained. 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 259 

LETTER XXXVII 

THE TOBACCO OF VIRGINIA, AND THE TOBACCO NOTES 

I have foiiiid, with pleasure, that your excellent article 
on the tobacco, inserted in our work de la France et des 
Etats Unis, is nearly exact in all its details. It is true 
that tobacco requires a strong fertile soil, and an uuin- 
terrupted care in the transplanting, weeding, defending 
from insects, cutting, curing, rolling, and packing. 

Nothing but a great crop, and the total abnegation of 
every comfort, to which the negroes are condemned, can 
compensate the expences attending this production before 
it arrives at the market. Thus in proportion as the good 
lands are exhausted, and by the propagating of the princi- 
ples of humanity, less hard labor is required of the slaves, 
this culture must decline. And thus you see already in 
Virginia lields enclosed, and meadows succeed to tobacco. 
Such is the system of the proprietors who best understand 
their interest; among whom I place (ieneral Washingt<jn, 
who has lately renounced the culture of this plant. 

If the Virginians knew our wants, and what articles 
would be most profitable to them, they would pay great 
attention to the culture of cotton ; the consumption of 
wliicli augments so prodigiously in Europe. I will not 
enlarge here on the subject of tobacco, which many authors 
have explained; but I will give you some ideas on that 
kind of paper-currency called tobacco-money; the use of 
which proves, that nations need not give themselves so 
much inquietude as they usually do on the absence of 
specie. In a free and fertile country, the constant produce 
of the land may give a fixed value to any kind of represen- 
tative of property. 

This State has public magazines, where the tobacco is 
deposited. Inspectore are appointed to take charge of 



260 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

these magazines, and inspect the quality of the tobacco; 
which, if merchantable, is received, and the proprietor is 
furnished with a note for the quantity by him deposited. 
This note circulates freely in the State, according to the 
known value of the tobacco. The price is different, ac- 
cording to the place where it is inspected. The following 
places are ranked according to the rigidity of the inspec- 
tion : Hanover-Court, Pittsburg, Richmond, Cabin-Point. 
When the tobacco is worth sixteen shillings at Richmond, 
it is worth twenty-one at Hanover-Court. The tobacco 
travels to one place or the other, according to its quality ; 
and if it is refused at all places, it is exported by contra- 
band to the islands, or consumed in the country. There 
are two cuttings in a year of this crop; the first only is 
presented for inspection, the second consumed in the coun- 
try or smuggled to the islands. 

As Virginia produces about eighty thousand hogsheads, 
there circulates in the State about eight hundred thousand 
pounds in these notes; this is the reason why the Vir- 
ginians have not need of a great quantity of circulating 
specie, nor of copper coin. The rapid circulation of this 
tobacco-money supplies their place. 

This scarcity, however, of small money subjects the 
people to great inconveniences, and has given rise to a 
pernicious practice of cutting pieces of silver coin into 
halves and quarters; a source of many little knaveries. A 
person cuts a dollar into three pieces, keeps the middle 
piece, and passes the other two for half dollars. The per- 
son who receives these without weighing, loses the differ- 
ence, and the one who takes them by weight, makes a 
fraudulent profit by giving them again at their pretended 
value ; and so the cheat goes around. 

But notwithstanding this pitiful resource of cutting 
the silver, society suffers a real injury for want of a plenti- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 261 

ful copper coin ; it is calculated, that in the towns the small 
expences of a family are doubled, on account of the im- 
possibility of finding small change. It shews a striking 
want of order in the government, and increases the misery 
of the poor. Though tobacco exhausts the land to a pro- 
digious degi-ee, the proprietors take no pains to restore 
its vigor; they take what the soil will give, and abandou 
it when it gives no longer. They like better to clear new 
lajids, than to regenerate the old. Yet these abandoned 
lands would still be fertile, if they were properly manured 
and cultivated. The Virginians take no tobacco in sub- 
stance, either in the nose or mouth ; some of them smoke, 
but this practice is not so general among them as in the 
Carolinas. 

The Americans wish for the free commerce of tobacco 
with France; and they complain much of the monopoly 
of the farmers-general. If this monopoly were removed, 
and the tobacco subjected only to a small duty on importa- 
tion into France, there is no doubt but that the Americans 
would make our country the store-house of those immense 
quantities with which they inundate Europe. Yon know 
that they are now carried chiefly to England ; where about 
the tenth part is consumed, and the rest is exported. Eng- 
land pays the whole in her own merchandise. Judge then 
of the profit she must draw from this exchange ; then add 
the commission, the money expended in England by a 
great number of Americans whom this commerce leads 
thither, and the profits of otiier branches of biLsiness that 
are the consequence of this. 

Such are the advantages which it is in the power of 
France to acquire over England; but we must abolish the 
farms, and content ourselves with a small duty on the im- 
portation. The high duty paid in England on tobacco, 
will prevent the Americans from giving the preference to 



2G2 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

that country. It amounts to fifteen pence stei'ling on the 
I50und. Though Eughmd consumes little tobacco, she 
draws from it a revenue of 600,000 pounds sterling. The 
state of the finances of that island, will not admit of her 
diminishing this duty in order to rival France. Continue 
then, my friend, to preach your doctrine. 

The great consumption of tobacco in all countries, and 
the prohibitive regulations of almost all governments, may 
engage the Americans to continiie this culture; for as they 
can furnisli it at a low price, as they navigate at small 
expence as no people equals them in enterprize and indus- 
try, they may undertake to furnish the whole earth. 

Spain, for instance, will doubtless become Ji market for 
them. Tlie author of the Nouveau Voyage en Espagne 
makes the revenue which the king draws from this article, 
amount to twenty millions of livres (L.833,333| sterling). 
The greater part of this tobacco is brought from Brazil by 
the Portuguese, sold to the king at five pence sterling the 
pound, and then sold by him at eight shillings and four- 
l^ence. At the expiration of the present contract, says the 
same author, the Americans will offei- a more advantageous 
one, and it is said they will have the preference. 

This high price encourages a considerable contraband 
in Spain, though interdicted by the pains of death. The 
law is too rigid to be executed. 

The tobacco of the Mississippi and the Ohio will, doubt- 
less, one day furnish the greater part of the consumption 
of Spain as well as of France; whicli if the system of 
liberty should be adopted, will become immense. For it 
is proved, by those who know the secrets of the farm, that 
the consumption of the latter amounts to more than thirty 
millions of pounds annually, instead oi fifteen, as we have 
been commanded to believe. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 263 

LETTER XXXVIII 

THE VALLEY OF SHENADORE IN VIRGINIA 

I proposed, mv friend, on qnitting Alexandria, to visit 
that fharining- valley, waslied by the Shenadore, of which 
Jefferson and Crevecoeur have given us so seducing a de- 
scription. From thence I intended to return by the vale of 
Lancaster, and pay my respects to the virtuous Moravians. 
But the approaching Revolution in France hastening my 
return, I am obliged to content myself with giving you 
some idea of that country where we have been invited to fix 
our tabernacles; and to borrow the observations of differ- 
ent travellers, who have this year observed, with groat 
attention, the lands situated between the different chains 
of mountains, which separate Virginia from the western 
territory. 

The Valley of Shenadore, which lies between the south 
mountain and the north, or endless mountain, is from 
thirty to forty miles wide; chalky bottom, a fertile soil, 
and a good air. This situation offers almost all the ad- 
vantages of the western country, without its inconven- 
iences. It is almost in the center of the United States, and 
has nothing to fear from foreign enemies. It lies between 
two considerable rivers, which fall into the Chesapeak; 
and though the navigation of these rivers is interrupted 
foi' the jiresent, yet there is no doubt, from the progress 
of the works on the Potowmack, that this inconvenience 
will soon bo removed. 

The price of lands hoi'o, as elsewhere, varies according 
to their quality ; you may purchase at any price, from one to 
five guineas the acre, land of the same quality as in Penn- 
sylvania from four to twenty guineas. 

The average distance of these lands from commercial 
towns is as follows : Fifty miles from George-town, 
about fifty miles from Alexandria, eighty or an hundred 



264 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

from Richmond and from Baltimore. But this part of 
the country is still more invitinc: for its future prospects. 
Of all the rivers that dischai'ge into the Atlantic, tlie Po- 
towmack offers the most direct communication with the 
rivers of the west. This circumstance will make it one day 
the great channel of intercourse for almost all the Onifced 
States; and its situation renders it secure against being 
interrupted by war. 

But to realize the advantages which the situation of 
this countrj^ seems to promise, requires a reformation of 
manners, and the banishment of luxury, which is more 
considerable here than in Philadelphia. You must banish 
idleness and the love of the chace, which are deeply rooted 
in the soul of the Virginians; and, above all things, you 
must banish slavery; whicli infallibly produces those great 
scourges of society, laziness and vice, in one class of men, 
unindustrious labour and degrading misery in another. 
The view of this deforming wound of humanity, will dis- 
courage foreigners of sensibility from coming to this State; 
while they have not to dread this disgusting spectacle in 
Pennsylvania. 

But it is in a country life in America, that true happi- 
ness is to be found by him who is wise enough to make it 
consist in tranquility of soul, in the enjoyment of himself, 
and of nature. What is the fatiguing agitation of our 
great cities, compared to this delicious calmness? The 
trees, my friend, do not calumniate ; they revile not their 
benefactors; men of the greatest merit cannot always say 
this of their fellow-creatures. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 265 

LETTER XXXIX 

JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO PORTSMOUTH 

October, 1788. 

I left Bostou the 2ud of October, after dinner, with my 
worthy friend Mr. Barrett ;* to whom I cannot pay too sin- 
cere a tribute of praise for his amialde qualities, or of 
gratitude for the readiness he has manifested on all oc- 
casions in procuriug me information on the objects of my 
research. We slept at Salem, fifteen miles from Boston; 
an excellent gavelly road, bordered with woods and mead- 
ows. This road passes the fine bridge of Maiden, which I 
mentioned before, and the town of Linn, remarkable for 
the manufactuie of vvomen's shoes. It is calculated that 
more than an hundred thousand pairs are annually ex- 
ported from this town. At Reading, not far from Linn, 
is a similar manufacture of men's shoes. 

Salem, like all other towns in America, has a printing 
press and a gazette. I read in this gazette the discourse 
pronounced by M. D'Epreminil, when he was arrested in 
full parliament in Paris. What an admirable invention 
is the press ! It brings all nations ac([uainted with ea,ch 
other, and electrizes all men by the recital of good actions, 
which thus become common to all. This discourse trans- 
ported the daughters of my hostess : D'Epreminil appeared 
to them a Brutus.* 

It was cold, and we had a fii-e in a Franklin stove. 
These are common here, and those chimneys that have 
them not, are built as described by M. de Crevecoeur; they 
rarely smoke. The mistress of the tavern (Robinson) was 
taking tea with her daughters ; they invited us to partake 
of it with them. — I repeat it, we have nothing like this in 
France. It is a general remark through all the United 



*He is nf a rpsppftable family in Boston. He is iately named Consul 
of the United States in France, 

•Heu ! quantum mutatus ah illn ! 



266 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

States: a tavern-keeper must be a respectable man, his 
daughters are well drest, and have an air of decency and 
civility. We had good provisions, good beds, attentive ser- 
vants; neither the servants nor the coachman asked any 
money. It is an excellent practice; for this tax with us 
not only becomes insupportable on account of the persecu- 
tions which it occasions, but it gives men an air of base- 
ness, and accustoms to the servility of avarice. Salem has 
a considerable commerce to the islands, and a great activ- 
ity of busiuess Ity the cod fishery. 

In passing to Beverly, we crossed another excellent 
wooden bridge. It is over a creek near a mile wide. The 
construction of this bridge, and the celerity with which it 
was built, gives a lively idea of the activity and industry 
of tlie inhabitants of Massachusetts. It cost but three 
tliousand pounds; tlie toll for a horse and carriage is eight- 
pence; the opening in the middle for the passage of vessels, 
is of a simpler mechauism than that of Chai-les-town. On 
the road to Beverley, I saw a flourishing manufacture of 
cotton. 

At Londonderry, a town cliiefly inhabited by Irish, is 
a considerable manufacture of linen. We dined at New- 
berry with Mr. Tracy, who foi'merly enjoyed a great for- 
tune, and has since been reduced by tlie failure of different 
enterprizes, particularly by a contract to furnisli masts 
for the marine of Prance. The miscarriage of this under- 
taking, was owing to his having employed agents in pro- 
curing the first cargo who deceived him, and sent a parcel 
of refuse masts that were fit only for fire-wood. Though 
the manner in which Mr. Tracy had been deceived was 
sufficiently proved; yet, for the clerks of the marine at 
Versailles, whose interest it was to decry the American 
timber, this fact was sufiicient to enable them to cause it 
ever after to be rejected. And Mr. Tracy's first cargo was 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 267 

condemned and sold at Havre for 250 1. He lived retired ; 
and with the consolation of his resi^ectable wife, supports 
his misfortunes with dignity and firmness. 

Newberry would be one of the best ports in the United 
States, were it not for a dangerous bar at the entrance. 
The business of ship-building has much declined here. In 
the year 1772 ninety vessels were Iniilt here, in 1788 only 
three. This town stands at the mouth of the fine river 
Marrimak, abounding in fish of different kinds. 

Twenty-four miles of fine roads brings you from New- 
berry to Portsmouth, the capital of New Hampshire. 
There is little appearance of activity in this town. A thin 
population, many houses in ruins, women and children in 
rags; every thing announces decline. Yet there are elegant 
houses and some commerce. Portsmouth is on the Pis- 
catuay, a rapid and deep river, which never freezes till 
four miles above the town. This was formerly one of tlie 
greatest markets for ship-timber. Colonel Wentworth, 
one of the most intelligent and esteemed citizens, was tlie 
agent of the Euglisli government and of the East Indian 
r'ompany for that article. This company is now renewing 
its demands for this timber. Everything in this town is 
commerce and ship-building. 

Pi'csident Langdon liimself is a merchant; he is ex- 
tremely well informed in everything that concerns his 
country. You may recollect, that at the time of the in- 
vasion of Burgoyne, he wns the first to mount his hor.se 
and lead off his fellow citizens to fight him. He appears 
well persuaded, as well as Colonel Wentworth, that the 
surest road to the prosperity of their country, is the adop- 
tion of the new federal government. 

We left Portsmouth on Sunday, nnd came t« dine at 
Mr. Dalton's, five miles from Newberry, on the Marrimak; 
this is one of the finest situations that can be imaginefl. 



268 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

It presents au agreeable prospect of seven leagues. This 
farm is extremely well arranged ; I saw on it thirty cows, 
numbers of sheep, etc., and a well furnished garden. Mr. 
Dalton occupies himself much in gardening, a thing gen- 
erally neglected in America. He has fine grapes, apples 
and peare ; but he complains that children steal them ; an 
offence readily pardoned in a free country. A proprietor 
here, who, to prevent these little thefts, should make use of 
those infernal mantraps, invented by the English, would 
justly be execrated by his fellow creatures. 

Mr. Dalton received me with that frankness which be- 
speaks a man of worth and of talents; with that hospital- 
ity which is more general in Massachusetts, and New 
Hampshire, than in the other States. 

The Americans are not accustomed to what we call 
grand feasts ; they treat strangers as they treat themselves 
every day, and they live well. They say they are not 
anxious to starve themselves the week, in order to gor- 
mandise on Sunday. This trait will paint to you a people 
at their ease, who wish not to torment themselves for show. 

Mr. Dalton's house presented me with the image of a 
true patriarchial family, and of great domestic felicity ; it 
is composed of four or five handsome young women, drest 
with decent simplicity, his amiable wife, and his venerable 
father of eighty years. This respectable old man preserves 
a good memory, a good appetite, and takes habitual exer- 
cise. He has no wrinkles in his face, which seems to be a 
characteristic of American old age; at least I have often 
observed it. 

From Mr. Dalton's we came to Andover, where my 
companion presented me to the respectable pastor of the 
parish. Doctor Symmes, in whom I saw a true model of a 
minister of religion, pnrity of uu^rals, simplicity in his 
manner of life, and gentleness of character. He cheers 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 269 

his solitude with a respectable wife, by whom he has had 
many children. And the cultivation of his farm occupies 
those moments which are not necessarily devoted to study, 
and to the care of the souls committed to his charge. 

LETTER XL 

DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES 

You have seen, my friend, in the Encyclopedia, a state 
of the American del)t brought down to the year of 1784. 
This ai'ticle, which I believe was furnished to the compilers 
by the learned Mr. Jefferson, contains some few errors. 
You may, however, draw fi'om it some just ideas relative 
to the origin of the continental debt. There is no work 
which treats of the changes made in it since 1784, which 
is the principal object of my present letter. 

You who are so versed in finance, will doubtless be 
struck with the errors committed by the Congress in lay- 
ing the foundation of this debt, and Avith the sterility of 
their plans to remedy the want of money. But your sur- 
prize will vanish, when you examine the critical circum- 
stances of that body of men to whom America owes her 
independence. 

They must be supposed ignorant of the principles of 
finance ; a science which their former situation had happily 
rendered unnecessary. They were pressetl by the imperi- 
ous necessity of a formidable invasion, to submission, or to 
combat; and they must pay those who should fight their 
battles. 

The idea of paper money was the first, and perhaps the 
only one that could strike them. Its object was so sublime, 
and patriotism so fervent, that everything was to be ex- 
pected from it. The Congress believed in it; and in multi- 



•Slnce writing this sketch, I have Incorporated Into It the operations ot 
the new Congress on Mr. Hamilton's report of September, 1789. 



270 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

plying this paper, even in the midst of a rapid deprecia- 
tion, they are not to be accused of ill faith ; for they ex- 
pected to redeem the whole. 

The people manifested the same confidence. But the 
unexpected accumulation of the quantity, the consequent 
depreciation, and the gradual disappearance of danger, 
were the natural and united causes of a revolution of senti- 
ment. To believe that this paper would not be redeemed 
at its nominal value, was in 1777 a crime. To say that it 
ought to be so redeemed, was iu 178-1 another crime. 

Since the establishment of the new federal system, the 
opinion, with respect to the debt, has undergone a third 
revolution. Among a free people, it is impossible but truth 
and honor should sooner or later predominate. Almost all 
the Americans are at present convinced, that to arrive at 
the high degree of prosperity, to which the nature of 
things invites them, and to acquire the credit necessary for 
this purpo.se, they must fulfill, with the most scrupulous 
punctuality, all their engagements. And this conviction 
has determined the new Congress to make the finance the 
first great object of their attention. 

The debt of the United States is divided into two 
classes, foreign and domestic. The foreign debt is com- 
posed, in capital, of a loan made in France of 24,000,(100* 



•If tlie secret history of this debt contracted in France were published, 
it would discover the origin of many fortunes which have astonislied us. It 
is certain, for instance, that M. de Vergennes disposed of these loans at 
pleasure, caused military stores and merchandise to be furnished by persons 
attached to him, and suffered not tlieir accounts to be disputed. It is a fact, 
that in his accounts with Congress, there was one million of livres that he 
never accounted for, after all the demands that were made to him. It Is 
likewise a fact, that out of the forty-seven millions pretended to be furnished 
in the above articles by France to Congress, the employment of twenty-one 
millions is without vouchers. Many fortunes may be made from twenty-one 
millions. 

M. Beaumarcliais. in a memoir published two years ago, pretends to be the 
creditor of Congress for millions. 1 have in my hands, a report made to Con- 
gress by two respectable memhers, in which they prove, that he now owes 
Congress 74-.4KJ livres, and a million more, if the wandering million ahove- 
mentioned. has fallen into his hands. These reporters make a striking pic- 
ture of tile manoeuvres practised to deceive the Americans. 

Will not the National Assembly cause some account to be rendered of 
the sums sifuaudered in our part of the .American war? or rather the sums 
which, Instead of going to succour those brave strugglers for liberty, went to 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 271 

of livres at 5 per ceut., another made in Holland, under 
the guarantee of France, of 10,000,000 at 4 per cent., both 
amounting in dollars to 0,296,290, another in Spain, at 5 
per cent., 174,011 dollars. 
In Holland, in four different loans 3,000,000 

Total capital 10,070,307 doll. 

Interest to Dec. 31, 1789 1,051,257 

Total, capital and interest 11,721.504 

Domestic debt liquidated, capital and in- 
terest to the 31st Dec. 1790 40,414,085 

Not liquidated, estimated at 2,000,000 

Total, foreign and domestic 54,124,404 doll. 

In the prosecution of the war, each individual State 
had occasion to contract a debt of its own, which, for a 
variety of reasons, it Mas thought best that the t'ongress 
should assume and add to the general mass of the debt of 
the United States. 

The sums thus assumed, which are sup- 
posed to absorb nearly the whole of all 
the State debts, amount in (be whole to 25,000,000 doll. 



So that the total amount of the present 

debt of the United States is 79,124,404 doll. 



Annual interest of this sum, as stipulated 4,587,444 

adorn the bed-chambers of an actress? Adeline did more mischief to the 
Americans, than a rej^iment of Hessians. Where are ttie accounts of iier 
favorite VeymerangeV Why has not M. Xeliar drawn the impenetrable veil 
which screens them from the public? And he, himself, has he nothing to 
answer for the choice he made of currupted, weal;, and wielied agents, and 
the facility with which he ratified their accounts? 

Mr. Morris and D'octor Franklin have been censured in the American 
papers on account of these robberies. I am far from .ioining in the accusa- 
tions against the latter : but I could wish he had given positive answera to 
the writer under the signature of Centinel. 



272 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

To complete the list of what is annually to be paid, we 
must add the annual expences of the federal government. 
The following is the amount of the year 1790 : 

Civil list 254,892 

Department of war 155,537 

Military pensions 96,979 



507,408 
You see, my friend, from these details, that the ex- 
penses of government among a free people, are far from 
that extravagance and pomp which are pretended to be 
necessary in other governments to delude the people, and 
which tend but to render them vicious and miserable. 

You see, that with one hundred and ten thousand ster- 
ling, a government is well administered for four millions 
of people, inhabiting an extent of country greater than 
Germany, Flanders, Holland, and Switzerland united.* 
And finally, you see that the Americans pay less than a 
million sterling a yeai" for having maintained their liberty ; 
while the English pay more than four millions sterling 
additional annual expense, for having attempted to rob 
them of it. 

By the measures taken by the new government, the 
Americans are in a fair way not only to pay their interest, 
but to sink the principal of their debt ; and that without 
direct taxation. 

LETTER XLI 

IMPORTATIONS INTO THE UNITED STATES 

If you doubt, my friend, of the abilities of the United 
States to pay their debt, and the expences of their govern- 
ment, your doubts will be dissipated on casting your eye 
over the tables of their annual exportations. 



*I speak only of the settled parts of the United States. 



UNITED STxVTES OF A3[EKICA 273 

Many publications i;ive, as an incoutestible maxim, "A 
nation units import as little as i»ossii)U', and export as 
much as possible." If they mean by this that she ought 
to produce as much as possible at home, it is true; but if 
they understand thai a nation is necessarily poor when 
she im])orts much, it is false. For if she imports, she 
either consumes, and of consecpience has wherewith to pay, 
or she re-exports, and consequently makes a profit. This 
maxim, like most of the dogmas of commerce, so confident- 
ly preached l)y the ignorant, is either trivial or false. The 
importations into the United States have much increased 
since the peace, as you will see by the following account of 
them, compared with the tables of Lord Sheffield, which 
repi'esent periods antecedent to the war. 

The following is the statement of the ])riucipal arti- 
cles: 

Kuni, brandy, and oilier spii-its 4,000,000 gall. 

Wine 1 ,000,000 

Hyson tea 1 25,000 lb. 

Sugar 20,000,000 

Coffee, cocoa, and chocolate 1,500,000 

Molasses 3,000,000 gall. 

Salt 1,000,000 barrl. 

Besides the above articles, tlie importations of dry 
goods amount to more than twenty millions of dollars 
annually. 

This general estinmte is calculated from the custom- 
liouse books at New York for three years. Taking for 
basis that New York makes one-fifth of the general impor- 
tations of the United States, it is believed that most of 
these articles are estimated much too low; and this idea 
is supported by the amount of duties collectwl since the 
new federal system has lw\gun its operations. 

18 



274 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

A great proportion of these articles, you will be con- 
vinced, might be better imported from France than from 
any other country; and they will be, whenever we shall 
understand our interest. Mr. Swan says, that a million 
and a half of gallons of brandy might be brought annually 
from Fi*ance ; that it is cheaper than the rum of Jamaica, 
and altogether preferred by the Americans to the rum of 
our islands. He is likewise of opinion, that French wines 
might be introduced in abundance; but he recommends to 
our merchants, to observe good faith in this [larticulai*, as 
they have inundated the United States with bad Bour- 
deaux wine, which has reflected general discredit on all 
the wines of France. He gives the preference to the white 
wines of Grave, Pontac, St. Brise; and then to the Sau- 
terne, Prignac, Barsac; among the red wines, he prefers 
the Chateau Maigol, the Segur, the Haut Heiss, the La 
Fite, etc. I drank excellent Champaign at Boston and New- 
York ; and Burgundy at Philadelphia, which is a proof 
that these wines will bear the sea. The quantity of twenty 
millions of imported sugar, is thought to be five millions 
below the reality; we may add to this, five millions of 
maple sugar made in the United States. What a difference 
between this consumption and ours! According to a cal- 
culation on the comparative number of inhabitants, France 
ought to consume two hundred millions ; wherea.s our con- 
sumption is but eight}' millions. By this fact you may 
judge of the difference between the inhabitants of the two 
continents. In America, even servants use sugar in abund- 
ance. In France, the artisans and peasants cannot enjoy 
this necessary article; which is consequently regarded as 
a superfluity. This circumstance wUl lead you to an- 
other observation, very important ; this twenty millions of 
sugar is brought from our islands; from whence the ex- 
portation is rigidly prohibited. For what purpose then 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 275 

these prohibitions for two neighbouriiisi people, who have 
reciprocal wants? Is not this an invitation to govern- 
ments to remove the barriers which are so easily broken 
over? 

LETTER XLII 

EXPORTATIONS AND MANUFACTURES 

If anything can give an idea of the high degree of 
prosperity, to which these confederated rt'pnl)lics are mak- 
ing rapid strides, it is the cou(em[)lation of these two sub- 
jects. It is impossible to enumerate all the articles to 
which they have turned their attention ; almost one-lialf 
of which were unknown before the war. Among the prin- 
ciple ones are ship-building, Hour, rice, tobacco, manufac- 
tures in woollen, linen, hemp, and cotton; the fisheries, 
oils, forges, and the different articles in iron and steel ; 
instruments of agriculture, nails, leather, and the numer- 
ous objects in which they are employed; paper, pasteboard, 
parchment, printing, pot-ash, pearl-ash, hats of all quali- 
ties, ship timber, and other wood of construction ; cabinet 
work, cordage, cables, carriages; works in brass, copper, 
and lead; glass of different kinds; gunpowder, cheese, but- 
ter, callicoes, printed linens, indigo, furs, etc. Ship build- 
ing is one of the most profitable branches of business in 
America. They built ships here before the war; but they 
were not permitted to manufacture the articles necessary 
to equip them ; every article is now made in the country. 
A fine ship, called the Massachusetts, of eight hundred 
tons, belonging to Mr. Shaw, had its sails and cordage 
wholly from the manufacture of Boston ; this single es- 
tablishment gives already two thousand yards of sail- 
cloth a week. 

Breweries augment everywhere, and take place of the 
fatal distilleries. There are no less than fourteen good 



27(i NEW TKAVKL8 IN THE 

breweries in Pliiladelijliia. The infant Avoolleu manufac- 
tory at Hartford, from September 17S8 to September 17S9, 
gave about five thousand yards of cloth, some of which 
sells at five dollars a yard; another at Watertown, in 
Massachusetts, promises ecjual success, and engages the 
farmers to multiply their sheep. 

Cotton succeeds equally well. The spinniug madiines 
of Arkwright arc well Icnown here, and are made in the 
countrj-. 

We have justly remarked in our work on the United 
States, that nature invites the Americans to the labours 
of the forge, by the profuse nmnner in which she has cover- 
ed their soil with wood, and interspersed it with metal and 
coals. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, make an- 
nually three hundred and fifty tons of steel, and six hun- 
dred tons of nails and nail rods. These articles are al- 
ready' exported from America ; as aie machines for carding 
wool and cotton, jiarticularly comuKsn cards, which are 
cheaper than tlie English, and of a superior quality. In 
these three States are sixty-three paper-mills, which manu- 
facture annually to the amount of 250,000 dollars. The 
State of Connecticut last year made five thousand reams, 
which might be worth nine thousand dollars. 

The prodigious consumption of all kinds of glass, mul- 
tiplies the establishment of glass works. The one on the 
Potowmack employs five hundred persons. They have be- 
gun with success, at Philadelphia, the printing of calli- 
coes, cotton, and linen. Sugar refiners are increasing 
everywhere. In Pennsylvania are twenty-nine powder- 
mills, which are supposed to produce annually 625 tons of 
gunpowder. 

Among the principal articles of exportation are wheat 
and flour. To form an idea of the augmentation of ex- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 277 

ports in the article of flour take the following faets : Phila- 
delphia exported in th.e year 

1780— ir)0,000 barrels. 

1787—202,000 

1 788—220,000 

1 78<»— a(iO,000 
JIany well-inforiucd incu in .\merira, liiive written dif- 
ferent pamphlets on the aiii;iiientation of the commerce 
and mannfacturers in the United States, which deserve at- 
tention; such as. "En(niiries into the Principles of a com- 
mercial System, hy Tench Coxe." '•Letter on the Work 
of Lord Sheffield. I>y .Mr. Bingham." "National Arith- 
metic. By Jlr. Swan," antimr of tlie voi'k cKed in my lasf 
letter. 

LETTER XLIII 

AMERICAN TRADE TO THE EAST IXDI?:S 

In this commerce, my friend, you m;iy see displayed the 
enterprizing spirit of the Americans; the first motive to it, 
was the hope of economizing in the price of East India 
goods, which they formerly imported from England, and 
this ccouoiny must be immense, if we judge of it by the 
great consumption of tea in America, nnd the high price 
it bears in England. In the year 1701, the English Ameri- 
can colonies sent to England 85,000 1. sterling in Spanish 
dollars for this single article, and since that time the con- 
sumption of it 1ms at least tripled. 

Another motive which encouraged them to push this 
commerce, was the hope of being able to supply South 
America, the Spanish and other islands, and even the mar- 
kets of Europe, with the goods of the East; and to obtain 
everywhere the preference, by the low price at which they 
might be afforded. And this i)roject is not without founda- 
tion. The nature of things invites the Americans to be- 



278 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

come the first carriers in the world. They build ships at 
two-thirds of the expence that they are built at in Europe ; 
they navigate with less seamen, and at less expence, al- 
though they nourish their seamen better; they navigate 
with more safety, with more cleanliness, and with more 
intelligence, because the spirit of equality, which reigns at 
home, attends them likewise at sea. Nothing stimulates 
men to be good sailors like the hope of becoming captains. 

The productions of their country are more favourable 
to this commerce than those of Europe. They carry gin- 
seng to China ; plank, ship-timber, flour, and salted pro- 
visions to the Cape of Good Hope, and to the isles of 
France and Bourbon. They are not, therefore, obliged to 
export so great a proportion of specie as the Europeans, 
who have establishments in the East. They are not ob- 
liged, like them, to maintain, at an enormous expem-e, 
troops, forts, ships of war, governors intendants, secretar- 
ies, clerks, and all the tools of despotism, as useless as they 
are expensive, of which the price must be added to that of 
the articles of this commerce. 

No sea is impenetrable to the navigating genuis of the 
Americans. You see their flag everywhere displayed ; you 
see them exploring all islands, studying their wants, and 
returning to supply them. 

Our languishing colony of Cayenne, would have per- 
ished ten times with famine, if it depended on the regular 
promised supplies of the mother country. But it is pro- 
visioned by the Americans ; who remedy thus the murder- 
ous calculations of European masters. 

A sloop from Albany, of sixty tons and eleven men, had 
the courage to go to China. The Chinese, on seeing her ar- 
rive, took her for the cutter of some large vessel, and asked 
where was the great ship? We are the great ship; an- 
swered they to the Chinese, stupified at their hardiness. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 279 

Our public papers vaunt the magnificence of the Europ- 
ean nations, who make discoveries and voyages round the 
world: the Americans do the same thing; but they boast 
not of their expoits with so much emphasis. In Septem- 
ber, 1700, the ship Columbia, Captain Gray, sailed to dis- 
cover the nortwest of this continent; this is his second 
voyage round the world ; the brig Hope has sailed for the 
same object. Our pajjers have resounded with the quarrels 
of the English and Spaniards for the commerce of Nootka 
Sound. The Americans make no quarrels; but they have 
already made a considerable commerce on the same coast 
in furrs and peltry. They were there trading in the year 
1789, in good intelligence with both parties. In the same 
year, no less than forty-four vessels were sent from the 
single town of Boston to the northwest of America, to In- 
dia, and to China. They bound not (heir hopes here: they 
expect, one day, to open a communication more direct to 
Nootka Sound. It is probable that this place is not far 
from the head waters of the Mississippi; which the Ameri- 
cans will soon navigate to its source, when they shall begin 
to people Louisiana and the interior of New Mexico. 

This will be a fortunate epoch to the human race, when 
there shall be a third great change in the routes of mari- 
time commerce. The Cape of Good Hope will then lose 
its reputation, and its aiflux of commerce, as the Mediter- 
ranean had lost it before. The passage which the free 
Americans are called upon to open, which is still unknown, 
which, however, is easy to establish, and which will place 
the two oceans, the Atlantic and Pacific, in communication, 
is by the passage by the lake of Nicaragua.* Nature so 
much favours this communication, wliich is destined to 
shorten the route to the East Indias, that the obstinacy of 
the nation which now possesses the country, cannot long 



•This project exists ; its length prevents my gIvinK It here. The Ameri- 
cans expect one day to open this passage. 



280 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

withstand its being opened. The Spaniards wish to mono- 
polize every thine;. Tlie free Americans, on the contrary, 
seek the advantages of the gi-eat family of the human race. 

LETTEK XLIV. 

iniK WESTERN TERRITORY. 

I have not the time, my friends, to describe to you the 
new country of the West; whicli, though at present un- 
known to the Europeans, must, from the nature of things, 
very soon merit the attention of every commercial and 
manufacturing luition. I shall lay before you at present 
only a general view of these astonishing settlements, and 
refer to another time the details which a speculative phil- 
osoplier may be able to draw from them. At the foot of 
the Alleganies, whose summits, however, do not threaten 
the heavens, like those of the Andes and the Alps, begins 
an iniense plain, intersected with hills of a gentle ascent, 
and watei-ed every where with streams of all sizes; the soil 
is from three to seven feet deep, and of an astonishing fer- 
tility; it is proper for every kind of culture, and it multi- 
plies cattle almost without the care of man. 

It is there that those establishments are formed, whose 
prospei"ity attracts so many emigrants; such as Kentucky, 
Frankland, C'umberland, Holston, Muskingum, and Scioto. 

The oldest and most flourishing of these is Kentucky, 
whicli began in 177.'), had eight thousand inhabitants in 
17S2, fifty thousand in 1787, and seventy thousand in 
1790.* It will soon be a State. 

Cumberland, situated in the neighbourhood of Ken- 
tucky, contains 8,000 inlial)itants, Holston, 5.000, and 
Frankland, 25,000. 



•By a letter from Colonel Fowler, a representative In the leKislature of 
Virginia from Kentucky, of tlie 18th of December. 1790. which the translator 
has seen, it appears, tliat the inhabitants of Kentucky at that time amounted 
to one hundred and seventy-three thousand. 



UNITED STATED OF AMERICA 281 

On beholding the multiplication and happiness of the 
human species in these rapid and prosperous settlements, 
and comparing them with the languor and debility of col- 
onies formed by despots, how august and venerable does 
(he aspect of liberty apjiear! Her power is equal to her 
will : she commands, and forests are overturned, mountains 
sink to cultivated plains, and nature prepares an asylum 
for numerous generations; while the proud city of Palmyra 
perishes with its haughty founder, and its ruins attest to 
the world that nothing is durable, but what is founded and 
fostered by freedom. It appears that Kentucky will pre- 
serve its advantage over the other settlements on the 
south; its territory is more extensive, its soil more fertile, 
and its inhabitants more numerous; it is situated on the 
Ohio, navigable at almost all seasons, this last advantage 
is equally enjoyed by the two settlements of which I am 
going to speak. The establishment at the Muskingum was 
formed in 17S8. by a number of emigrants from New Eng- 
land, belonging to tlie Oliio company. The Muskingum is 
a river which falls into the Ohio from the West. These 
people have an excellent soil, and every prospect of suc- 
cess. 

From these proprietors is formed anotlier association, 
whose name is more known in France; it is that of the 
Scioto Company,* a name taken from a river, which after 



•ThiK company has bern much caluminated. It has been accused of sell- 
ine lands which it does not possess, of giving: exagsernfed accounts of its fer- 
tility, of deceiving tlie cmigrnnts, of robbinc Franco of her inhabitants, and of 
sendine: them to be butchered by tlie savages. But the title of this associa- 
tion is incontestible : the proprietors are reputaljle rnen : the description 
which they have given of the land.s is taken from the public and authentic 
reports of Mr. Hutchins. Geographer of Congress. No person can dispute their 
prodigious fertility. 

Certainlv the aristocrats of France, who may emigrate thither under 
the foolish idea of forming a monarchy, would be fatally deceived in their 
expectations. They would fly from the French government, because it establishes 
the equalit.v of rights, and they would fall into a society where this enualitv is 
consecrated even by the nature of things : where every man is solicited to inde- 
pendence by every circumstance that surrounds him, and especially by the facility 
of supplying his wants : they would fly to preserve their titles, their honors, 
their privileges : and they would fall into a new society, where the titles of 
pride and chance are despised, and even unknown. 

This enterprise is suitable to the poor of Europe, who have neither property 
cor employment, and who have strength to labor. They would find at Scioto 



282 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

having traversed the two million of acres which they poss- 
ess, falls into the Ohio. 

This settlement would soon rise to a high degree of 
prosperity, if the proper cautions were taken in the em- 
barkation and the necessary means employed to solace 
them, and to prepare them for a kind of life so different 
from that to which they are accustomed. 

The revolution in the American government, will, 
doubtless, be beneficial to the savages ; for the government 
tends essentially to peace. But as a rapid increase of pop- 
ulation must necessarily be the consequence of its opera- 
tions, the savages must either blend with the Americans, or 
a thousand causes will speedily annihilate that race of men. 

There is nothing to fear, that the danger from the 
savages will ever arrest the ardour of the Americans for 
extending their settlements. They all expect that the 
navigation of the Mississippi, which is becoming free, will 
soon open to them the markets of the islands, and the 
Spanish colonies, for the productions with which their 
country overflows. But the question to be solved is, 
whether the Spaniards will open this navigation willingly, 
or whether the Americans will force it. A kind of nego- 
ciation has been carried on, without effect for four years ; 
and it is supposed, that certain States, fearing to lose their 
inhabitants by emigration to the West, have, in concert 
with the Spanish minister, opposed it; and that this con- 

the means of supplying their wants ; the soil would give them its treasures, at 
the expense of a slight cultivation : the beasts of the forests would cover their 
tables, until they could rear cattle on their farms. It would be then rendering 
a service to the unfortunate people, who are deprived of the means of subsistance 
by the Revolution, to open to them this asylum, where they could obtain a 
property. 

But, say the opposers, the poor may find these advantages in P'rance. We 
have great quantities of uncultivated land ; yes, but will the proprietors sell it 
for almost nothing? Will it produce equally with that of Scioto? Are pro- 
visions as cheap here as there? No; why then declaim so much against an emi- 
gration, useful at the same time to Prance, to the individuals, and to the United 
States? The man who, without much expense, and in a manner that should 
make it voluntary, could find the means of transporting to the forests of 
America the thirty thousand mendicants, whom fear, as well as humanity, 
obliges us to support in idleness in the neighborhood of Paris, that man would 
merit a statue. For he would at once cure the capital of a leprosy, and render 
thirty thousand people to happiness and good morals. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 283 

cert gave rise to a proposition, that Spain should shut up 
the navigation for twentj'-five years, on condition that the 
Americans should have a free commerce with Spain. Vir- 
ginia and Maryland, though they had more to fear from 
this emigration than the other States, were opposed to this 
proposition, as derogatory to the honour of the United 
States ; and a majority of Congress adopted the sentiment. 

A degree of diffidence, which the inhabitants of the 
West have shewn relative to the secret designs of Congress, 
has induced many people to believe, that the union would 
not exist a long time between the old and new States ; and 
this probability of a rupture they say, is strengthened by 
some endeavours of the English in Canada, to attach the 
Western settlers to the English governmeut. 

But a number of reasous determine me to believe, that 
tlie present union A\ill forever subsist. A great part of 
the property of the \\'esteru land belongs to peoplo of the 
East; the unceasing emigrations serve perpetually to 
strengthen their connexions; and as it is for the interest 
both of the East and West, to open an extensive commerce 
with South America, and to overleap the Mississippi; they 
must, and will, remain united for the accomplishment of 
the object. 

The Western inhabitants are convinced that this navi- 
gation cannot remain a long time closed. They are deter- 
mined to open it by good Avill or by force; and it would not 
be in the power of Congress to moderate their ardour. Men 
who have shaken off the yoke of Great Britain, and who 
are masters of the Ohio and Mississipi)i, cannot conceive 
that the insolence of a handful of Spaniards can think of 
shutting rivers and seas against a hundred thousand free 
Americans. The slightest quarrel would be sufficient to 
throw them into a flame; and if ever the Americans shall 
mai-ch towards New Orleans, it will infallibly fall into 



284 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

their hands. The Spaniards fear this moment ; and it 
cannot be far off. If they had the policy to open the Mis- 
sissippi, the port of New Orleans would become the centre 
of a lucrative commerce. But her narrow and supersti- 
tious policy. will oppose it; for she fears, above all things, 
the communication of these principles of independence, 
which the Americans preach wherever they go; and to 
which their own success gives an additional weight. 

In order to avert the effects of this enterprizing char- 
acter of the free Americans, the Spanish government has 
adopted the pitiful project of attracting them to a settle- 
ment on the west of the Mississippi,* and by granting to 
those who shall establish themselves there, tlie exclusive 
right of trading to New Orleans. This colony is the first 
foundation of the conquest of Louisiana, and of the civili- 
zation of Mexico and Peru. 

How desirable it is for the happiness of the human 
race, that this communication should extend! for cultiva- 
tion and population here, will augment the prosperity of 
the manufacturing nations of Europe. The French and 
Spaniards, settled at the Natches, on the most fertile soil, 
have not, for a century, cultivated a single acre; while the 
Americans, who Iiave lately made a settlement there, have 
at present three thousand farms of four hundred acres 
each; which furnish the greater part of the provisions for 
New Orleans. O Liberty! how gi-eat is thy empire; thou 
createst industry, which vivifies the dead. 

I transport myself .sometimes in imagination to the 
succeeding century. I see this whole extent of continent. 
from Canada to Quito, covered with cultivated fields, little 
villages, and country houses.* I see Happiness and In- 

•Colonel Morgan is at the head of this settlement. 

•America will nevoi- have enormous cities lil^e Ijondon and Paris ; which 
would absorb the means of industry and vitiate morals. Flence, it will result, 
that property will be more equally divided, population ereater. manners less 
corrupted, and industry and happiness more universal. 



UNITED STATES OF AilEUICA 285 

dustry, smiling side by side, Beauty adoruing the daughter 
of Nature, Liberty and Morals rendering almost useless 
the coercion of government and laws, and gentle Toler- 
ance taking place of the ferocious Inquisition. I see 
Mexicans, Peruvians, men of the United States, French- 
men, and Canadians, embracing eacli other, lairsing ty- 
rants, and blessing the reign of Liberty, which leads to 
universal harmony. But the mines, the slaves, what is to 
become of them ? The mines will be closed, and the slaves 
will becouie the brothers of their masters. At to gold, it 
is degrading to a free country to tlig for it, unless it can 
be done without slaves; and a free people cannot want for 
signs to serve as a medium in exchanging their commodi- 
ties. Gold has always serve<l more the cause of despotism 
than that of liberty; and liberty will always find less dan- 
gerous agents to serve in its place. 

Our speculators in Europe are far from imagining that 
two revolutions are preparing on this continent, whicli will 
totally overturn the ideas and the commerce of the old : 
the opening a canal of communication between the two 
oceans, and abandoning the mines of Peru. Let the ima- 
gination of the philosophei- contemplate the consequences. 
They cannot but be happy for tlie human race. 

FINIS. 
[A little later edition of M. Brissot de Warvilles' work 
contains the following additional valuable material.] 

ON THE WESTEUN TERRITORY 

It is a mistake in those who imagine that the new 
State of Kentucky comprises the Western territory of 
North America. That new State includes but a small part 
of this great domain. The State of Kentucky is described 
to be bounded on the south by North Carolina, on the 
north by Sandy Creek, on the west by Cumberland Itiver, 



286 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

making about 250 miles in length and 200 miles in breadth ; 
whereas the whole Western territory is infinitely more ex- 
tensive. The limits are unknown; but that part of it, 
which was surveyed by Captain Hutchins, geographer to 
the Congress, he has given us a short account of. From 
his account, because it is known to be authentic, we have 
extracted the following. 

The part he surveyed lies between the 33d and 45th 
degrees of latitude, and the 78th and 94th degrees of longi- 
tude, containing an extent of territory which, for health- 
fulness, fertility of soil, and variety of productions, is not 
perhaps surpassed by any on the habitable globe. 

"The lands comprehended between the river Ohio, at 
Fort Pitt, and the Laurel mountain, and thence continuing 
the same breadth from Fort Pitt to the Great Kanhawa 
River, may, according to my own observations, and those 
of the late Mr. Gist, of Virginia, be generally and justly 
described as follows. 

"The vallies adjoining to the branches or springs of 
the middle forks of Youghiogeny, are narrow towards its 
source — but there is a considerable quantity of good farm- 
ing grounds on the hills, near the largest branch of that 
river. The lands within a small distance of the Laui-el 
mountain (through which the Youghiogeny runs) are in 
many places broken and stony, but rich aud well timbered ; 
and in some places, and particularly on Laurel Creek, they 
are rocky and mountainous. 

"From the Laurel mountain, to Monongahela, the first 
seven miles are good, level, farming grounds, with fine 
meadows; the timber, white oak, chestnut, hickory etc. 
The same kind of land continues southerly (twelve miles) 
to the upper branches or forks of this river and about fif- 
teen miles northerly to the place where the Youghiogeny 
falls into the Monongahela. The lands, for about eighteen 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 287 

miles in the same course of the last-mentioned river, on 
each side of it, though hilly, are rich and well timbered. 
The trees are Avalnut, locust, chestnut, poplar, and sugar 
or sweet maple. The low lauds near the river, are about 
a mile, and in several places two miles wide. For a con- 
siderable way down the river on the eastern side of it, the 
intervals are extremely rich, and about a mile wide. The 
upland for about twelve miles eastwardly, are uncommonly 
fertile, and well timbered; the low lands, on the western 
side, are narrow ; Init the uplands, on the eastern side of 
the river, both up and <lo\vn, are excellent, and covered 
with sugar trees, etc. 

"Such parts of the country which lie on some of the 
branches of the Monongahela and across the heads of sev- 
eral rivers, that run into the Ohio, though in general hilly, 
are exceedingly fruitful and well watered. The timber is 
walnut, chestnut, ash, oak, sugar trees, etc., and the in- 
terval of meadow lands are from 250 yards to a quarter 
of a mile wide. 

"The lauds lying nearly in a north-westerly direction 
from the Great Kanhawa River to the Ohio, and thence 
north-easterly, and also upon Le Tort's Creek, Little Kan- 
hawa River, Buffaloe, Fishing, Wheeling, and the two up- 
per and two lower, and several other very considerable 
creeks (or what, in Europe would be called large rivers), 
and thence east, and southeast to the river Monongahela, 
are, in point of quality, as follows. 

"The borders or meadow lauds, are a mile, and in some 
places near two niiles wide; and the uplands are in com- 
mon of a most fertile soil, capable of abundantly produc- 
ing wheat, hemp, flax, etc. 

"The lands which lie upon the Ohio, at the mouth of, 
and between the above creeks, also consist of rich inter- 
vals and very fine farming grounds. The whole country 



288 NEW TKAVELB IN THE 

abounds in bears, elks, buffaloe, deer, turkies, etc. — an 
unqestionable proof of tlie extraordinary jjoodness of its 
soil. Indiana lies witliin the territoi-j- liere described. It 
contains about three millions and a half of acres, and was 
granted to Samuel Wliarton, William Trent, and George 
ilorgan. Esquires, and a few other persons, in tlie year 
1768. 

''P^'ort Pitt stands at the confluence of the Allegheny 
and Monogahela rivers; in latitude 40° 31' 44"; and about 
five degrees westward of Philadelphia. In the year 17(50, 
a small town, called Pittsburgh, was built near Fort Pitt, 
and about 200 families resided in it; but upon the Indian 
war breaking out (in the month of May, 1763) they aban- 
doned their houses and retired into the fort. 

"In the year 17G5, the present town of Pittsburgh Avas 
laid out. It is built on the eastern bank of the river Mon- 
ongahela, about 200 yards from Fort Pitt. 

"The junction of the Allegheny and .Monongahela riv- 
ers, forms the river Ohio, and this discharges itself into 
the Mississippi, (in latitude 3G° 43') about 1,188 computed 
miles from Fort Pitt. The Ohio in its passage to the Miss- 
issippi, glides through a jdeasant, fruitful, and healthy 
country; and carries a great uniformity of breadth, from 
400 to 600 yards, except at its confluence with the Miss- 
issippi, aud for 100 miles above it, where it is 1,000 yards 
wide. The Ohio, for the greater part of the way to the 
Mississippi, has many meanders, or windings and rising 
grounds upon both sides of it. 

"The reaches in the Ohio are iu some parts from two to 
four miles in length, and one of them, above the Muskin- 
gum Kiver, called the Long Keach, is sixteen miles and a 
half long. The Ohio, about 100 miles above, or northerly of 
the Kapids, (formerly called the Falls) is in many places 
700 yards wide; and as it approaches them, the high 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 289 

grounds ou its borders gradually diminish, and the coun- 
try becomes more level. Some of the banks, or heights of 
this river, are at times overflowed by great freshes, yet 
there is scarce a place between Fort Pitt and the Kapids ( a 
distance of 705 computed miles) where a good road may 
not be made; and horses employed in drawing up large 
barges (as is done on the margin of the river Thames in 
England, and the Seine in France) against a stream re- 
markably gentle, except in high freshes. The heights of 
ihe banks of the Ohio admit them every where to be set- 
tled, as they are not liable to crumble away. 

"To these remarks, it may be proper to add the follow- 
ing observations of the ingenious Mr. Lewis Evans. He 
says that 'the Ohio Eiver, as the winter snows are thawed 
by the warmth or rains in the spring, rises in vast floods, 
in .some places exceeding twenty feet in height, but scarce 
any where overflowing its high aud upright banks. These 
floods,' Mr. Evans adds, 'continue of some height for at 
least a month or two, according to the late or early break- 
ing up of the winter. Vessels from 100 to 200 tons bur- 
then, by taking the advantage of these floods, may go from 
Pittsburgh to the sea with safety, as then the Falls, Rifts, 
aud Shoals, are covered to an equality with the rest of the 
rivers' — aud though the distance is upwards of 2,000 miles 
from Fort Pitt to tlie sea, yet as there are no obstructions 
to prevent vessels from proceeding both day and night, I 
am persuaded that this extraordinai-y inland voyage may 
be performed, during the season of the floods, by rowing, in 
sixteen or seventeen days. 

"The navigation of the Ohio in a dry season, is rather 
troublesome from Fort Pitt to the Mingo town (about 
seventy-five miles), but from thence to the Mississippi, 
there is always a sufficient depth of water for barges, 
carrving from 100 to 200 tons burtlieu, built in the man- 



290 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

ner as those of which ai'e used on the river Thames, be- 
tween London and Oxford; — to-wit, from 100 to 120 feet 
in the keel, sixteen to eighteen feet in breadth, and four 
feet in depth, and when loaded, di*awing about three feet 
water. 

"The Kapids, in a dry season, are difficult to descend 
with loaded boats or barges. 

[But instead of the carrying place now used, it is in- 
tended to substitute a canal on the contrary side of the 
river.] 

"Most of the hills on both sides of the Ohio are filled 
with excellent coal, and a coal mine was, in the year 1760, 
opened opposite to Fort Pitt on the river Monongahela, for 
the use of the garrison. Salt springs, as well as iron ore, 
and rich lead mines, are found bordering upon the river 
Ohio. One of the latter is opened on a, branch of the Scioto 
River, and there the Indian natives supply themselves with 
a considerable part of the lead which they use in their 
wars and hunting. 

"About 584 miles below Fort Pitt, and on the eastern 
side of the Ohio River, about three miles from it, at the 
head of a small creek or run, where are several large and 
miry salt springs, are found numbers of large bones, teeth, 
and tusks, commonly supposed to be those of elephants — 
but the celebrated Doctor Hunter, of Loudon, in his in- 
genious and curious observations on these bones, etc., has 
supposed them to belong to some carnivorous animal, 
larger than an ordinary elephant. 

"On the northwestern side of Ohio, about eleven miles 
below the Cherokee River, on a high bank, are the remains 
of Fort Massac, built by the French, and intended as a 
check to the southern Indians. It was destroyed by them 
in the year 1763. This is a high, healthy, and delightful 
situation. A great variety of game — buffaloe, bear, deer. 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 291 

etc., as well as ducks, geese, swans, turkies, pbeasauts, 
partridges, etc., abounds in every part of this countrj. 

"The Ohio and the rivers emtying into it afford green, 
and other turtle, and fish of various sorts; particularly 
cai'p, sturgeon, perch, and cats; the two latter of an un- 
common size, viz., perch, from eight to twelve pounds 
weight and cats from fifty to one hundred pounds weight. 

"The lands upon the Ohio, and its branches, are difC- 
ei-ently timbered according to their quality and situation. 
The high and dry lands are covered with red, white, and 
black oak, hickory, walnut, red and white mulberry and 
ash trees, grape vines, etc. ; the low and meadow lands with 
sycamore, poplar, red and white mulberry, cherry, beech, 
elm, aspen, maple, or sugar trees, grape vines, etc. ; and 
below, or southwardly of the Kapids, are several large 
cedar and cypress swamps, where the cedar and cypress 
grow to a remarkable size, and where also is a great abund- 
ance of canes, such as grow in South Carolina. The coun- 
try on both sides of the Ohio, extending south-easterly, and 
south-westerly from Fort Pitt to the Mississippi, and wat- 
ered by the Ohio River, and its branches, contains at least 
a million of square miles, and it niay, with truth, be af- 
firmed, that no part of tlie globe is blessed with a more 
healthful air, or climate; watered with more navigable 
rivers and branches communicating with the Atlantic 
ocean, b,y the rivers Potowmack, James, Rappahannock, 
Mississippi, and St. LawTence, or capable of producing, 
with less labour and expence. wheat, Indian corn, buck- 
wheat, rye, oats, barley, flax, hemp, tobacco, rice, silk, 
pot-ash, etc., than the country under consideration. And 
although there are considerable quantities of high lands for 
about 250 miles (on both sides of the river Ohio) south- 
wardly from Fort Pitt, yet even the summits of most of 
the hills are covered with a deep rich soil, fit for the cul- 



292 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

ture of flax and hemp ; and it may also be added, that no 
soil can possibly yield larger crops of red and white clover, 
and other useful gi'ass, than this does. 

"On the northwest and southeast sides of the Ohio, be- 
low the great Kanhawa River, at a little distance from it, 
are extensive natural meadows, or savannahs. These 
meadows are from twenty to fifty miles in circuit. They 
have many beautiful gi-oves of trees interspersed, as if by 
art, in them, and which serve as a shelter for the innum- 
erable herds of butfaloe, deer, etc., A\ith which they 
abound." 

I am obliged to a worthy friend, and countryman, for 
the following just and judicious observations. They were 
addressed to the Earl of Hillsborough, in the year 1770, 
when Secretary of State for the North American depart- 
ment; and were written by Mr. Samuel Wharton, of Phila- 
delphia, who at that time resided in London, having some 
business there with Mr. Strahan, Mr. Almon, etc. 

"No part of North America," he says, "will require less 
encouragement for the production of naval stores, and raw 
materials for manufactories in Europe; and for supplying 
the West India islands with lumber, provisions, etc., than 
the country of the Ohio ; — and for the following reasons. 

"First, the lands are excellent, the cUniate temperate, 
the native grapes, silk-worms, and mulberry trees, abound 
every where: hemp, hops, and rye, grow spontaneously in 
the valleys and low lands, lead, and ii'on ore are plenty in 
the hills, salt springs are innumerable ; and no soil is bet- 
ter adapted to the culture of tobacco, flax, and cotton, than 
that of the Ohio. 

"Second, the country is well watered by several navig- 
able rivers, communicating with each other; by which, and 
a short land carriage, the produce of the lands of the Ohio 
can, even now (in the year 1772) be sent cheaper to sea- 
port town of Alexandria, on the river Potomack in Vir- 
ginia (where General Braddock's transports landed his 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 293 

troops), than any kind of merchandise i^^ sent from North- 
ampton to London. 

"Third, the Ohio River is, at all seasons of the year, 
navigable with large boats, like the west country barges, 
rowed only by four or five men; and from the month of 
February to April large ships may be built on the Ohio, 
and sent to sea laden with liemp, iron, flax, silk, tobacco, 
cotton, pot-ash, etc. 

''Fourth, fiour, corn, beef, ship-plank, and other useful 
articles, can be sent down the stream of the Ohio to West 
Florida, and from thence to the West India islands, niucli 
cheaper, and in better order, than from New York or Phila- 
delphia to these islands. 

"Fifth, hemp, tobacco, iron, and such bulky articles, 
may also be sent down the stream of the Ohio to the sea, 
and at least fifty per cent, cheaper than these articles were 
ever carried by a land carriage, of only sixty miles, in 
Pennsylvania; where waggonage is cheaper than in any 
other part of North America. 

"Sixth, the expence of transporting European manu- 
factories from the sea to the Ohio, will not lie so much 
as is now paid, and must ever be paid, to a great part of the 
countries of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland. When- 
ever the farmers, or merchants of Ohio, shall properly uu- 
deretand the business of transportation, tliey will build 
schoonere, etc., on the Ohio, suitable for the West India, 
or European markets; or, by having black walnut, cherry 
tree, oak, etc., properly sawed for foreign markets, and 
formed into i-afts, in the manner that is now done by the 
settlers near the upper parts of Delaware River in Penn- 
sylvania, and thereon stow their hemp, iron, tobacco, etc., 
and proceed with them to New Orleans. 

"It may not, perhaps, be amiss, to observe, that large 
(piantities of fiour are made in the distant (western) 
counties of Pennsylvania, and sent by an expensive land 
carriage to the city of Philadelphia and from thence 
shipped to South Carolina, and to East and West Florida, 
there being little or no wheat raised in these provinces. 
The river Ohio seems kindly designed by nature as the 
channel through which the two Floridas may be supplied 



294 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

with flour, uot only for their own consumption, but also 
for the carryinjf on of an extensive commerce with Jamaica 
and the Spanish settlements in the Bay of Mexico. Mill- 
stones in abundance are to be obtained in the hills near 
the Ohio, and the country is everywhere well watered with 
larjje and constant springs and streams, for grist, and 
other mills. 

"The passage from Philadelphia to Pensacola, is seldom 
made in less than a month, and sixty shillings sterling per 
ton freight (consisting of sixteen barrels) is usually paid 
for flour, etc., thither. Boats carrying 800 or 1,000 barrels 
of flour may go in about the same time fi*om the Ohio (even 
from Pittsburgh) as from Philadelphia to Pensacola, and 
for half tlie above freight, the Ohio merchants would be 
able to deliver flour, etc., there in much better order than 
from Philadelphia, and without incurring the damage and 
delay of the sea, and charges of insurance, etc., as from 
thence to Pensacola. 

"This is not mere speculation ; for it is a fact, that about 
the year 1746, there was a great scarcity of provisions at 
New Orleans, and tlie French settlements, at the Illinois, 
sinnl] as they then were, sent thither in one winter up- 
wards of eiglit Inindred thousand weight of flour." 

"I shall now proceed to give a brief account of the sev- 
eral rivers and creeks whicli fall into the river Ohio. 

"Ganawagy, when raised by freshes, is passable with 
small battoes, to a little lake at its head — from thence 
there is a poi'tage of twenty miles to Lake Erie, at the 
mouth of Jadag!)i|ii('. Tliis i>ortage is seldom iiseil, because 
Canawagy has scarcely any water in it in a dry season. 

"Bughaloons is not navigable, but is remarkable for 
extensive meadows bordering upon it. 

"French Creek affords the nearest passage to Lake Erie. 
It is navigable with small boats to Le Beuf, by a very 
crooked channel ; the portage thence to Presquile, from an 
adjoining peninsula, is fifteen miles. This is the usual 
route from Quebec to Ohio. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 295 

"Lickiug and Lacomic Creeks do not afford any navi- 
gation; but there is plenty of coals and stones for building 
in the hills which adjoin them. 

"Toby's Creek is deep enough for batteaus for a con- 
siderable way up, thence by a short portage to the west 
branch of Susquehannah, a good communication is carried 
on between Ohio and the eastern parts of Pennsylvania. 

"Moghulbughkitum is passable also by flat bottom boats 
in the same manner as Toby's Creek is to Susquehannah, 
and from thence to all the settlements in the Northumber- 
land County, etc., in Pennsylvania. 

"Kishkeminetas is navigable in like manner as the pre- 
ceeding creeks, for between forty and fifty miles, and good 
portages are found between Kishkeminetas, Janiatta, and 
Potomac rivers — coal and salt are discovered in the neigh- 
liourhood of these rivers. 

"Monongahela is a large river, and at its junction with 
the Allegheny River stands Fort Pitt. It is deep, and gen- 
tle, and navigable with battoes and barges, beyond Red 
Stone Creek, and still farther ^\ith lighter craft. At six- 
teen miles from its mouth is Youghiogeny; this river is 
navigable with Ijattoes or barges to the foot of Laurel 
hill. 

"Beaver Creek has water sufficient for flat bottom 
boats. At Kishkushes (about sixteen miles up) are two 
branches of this creek, which spread opposite ways; one 
interlocks with French Creek and Cherage — the other with 
!\Iuskingum and Cayahoga ; on this branch, about thirty- 
five miles above the forks, are many salt springs. — Caya- 
hoga is practicable with canoes about twenty miles farther. 

"Muskingum is a fine gentle river, confined by high 
banks, which prevent its floods from overflowing the sur- 
rounding land. It is 250 yards wide at its confluence with 
the Ohio, and navigable, without any obstructions, by 



296 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

large battoes oi- barges, to the three Legs's and by small 
ones to a little lake at its head. 

"From thence to Cayahoga (the creek that leads to 
Lake Erie) the Muskingum is muddy, and not very swift, 
but nowhere obstructed with falls or rifts. Here are Sne 
uplands, extensive meadows, oak and mulberry trees fit 
for ship building, and walnut, chestnut, and poplar trees, 
suitable for domestic ser^'ices. — Cayahoga furnishes the 
best portage between Ohio and Lake Erie; at its mouth 
it is wide and deep enough to receive large sloops from the 
lake. It will hereafter be a place of great importance. 

"Muskingum, in all its wide-extended branches, is sur- 
rounded by most excellent land, and abounds in springs, 
and conveniencies partictilarly adapted to settlements re- 
mote from sea navigations — such as salt springs, coal, 
clay, and free stone. In 1748, a coal mine opposite to 
Lamenshicola mouth took fire, and continued burning 
about twelve months, but great quantities of coal still re- 
main in it. Near the same place are excellent whetstones, 
and about eight miles higher up the river is plenty of 
white and blue clay for glass works and pottery. 

"Hockhocking is navigable with large flat bottom boats 
between seventy and eighty miles; it has fine meadows 
with high banks, which seldom overflow, and ricli uplands 
on its borders. Coal and quarries of freestone are found 
about fifteen miles up this creek. 

"Big Kanhawa falls into the Ohio upon its south-eas- 
tern side, and is so considerable a branch of this river, 
that it may be mistaken for the Ohio itself by persons as- 
cending it. It is slow for ten miles, to little broken hills — 
the low land is very rich, and of about the same breadth 
(from the pipe hills to the falls) as upon the Ohio. After 
going ten miles up Kanhawa the land is hUly, and the 
water a little rapid for fifty or sixty miles further to the 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 297 

falls, vet battoes or barges may be easily rowed thither. 
These falls were formerly thought impassable; but late 
discoveries have proved, that a wagon road may be made 
through the mountain, which occasions the falls, and that 
by a portage of a few miles only a communication may Ix' 
had between the waters of great Kanhawa and Ohio, and 
those of James River in Virginia. 

"Tottery lies upon the south-eastern side of the Ohio, 
and is navigable with battoes to the Ouasioto mountains. 
It is a long river, has few branches, and interlocks with 
Red Creek, or Clinclie's River (a branch of the Cuttawa ) ; 
and has below the mountains, especially for fifteen miles 
from its mouth, very good land. Here is a percei)tible dif- 
ference of climate between tiie upper and this part of Ohio. 
Here the large reed, or Carolina cane, grows in plenty, 
even upon the uplands, and the winter is so moderate as 
not to destroy it. The same moderation of climate con- 
tinues down Ohio, especially on the south-east side, to the 
Rapids, and thence on both sides of that river to the Jliss- 
issippi. 

"Great Salt Lick Creek is remarkable for fine land, 
plenty of buffaloes, salt springs, white clay, and lime stone. 
Small lioats may go to the crossing of the war path without 
any impediment. The salt springs render the waters unfit 
for drinking, but the plenty of fresh springs in their vici- 
nity, makes sufficient amends foi' this inconvenience. 

"Kentucke is larger than the preceding creek ; it is sur- 
rounded with high clay banks, fertile lands, and large salt 
springs. Its navigation is interrupted by shoals, but pass 
able with small boats to the gap, where the war path goes 
through the Ouasioto mountains. 

"Scioto, is a large gentle river, bordered with rich flats, 
or meadows. It overflows in the spring, and then spreads 



298 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

about half a mile, though when confined within its banks it 
is scarce a furlong wide. 

"If it floods early, it seldom retires within its banks in 
less than a month, and is not fordable frequently in less 
than two months. 

"The Scioto, besides having a great extent of most ex- 
cellent land on both sides of the river, is furnished with 
salt, on an eastern bi'anch, and red bole on Necunsia 
Skeinat. The stream of Scioto is gentle and passable with 
large battoes or barges for a considerable way, and with 
smaller boats, near 200 miles, to a portage of only four 
miles to Sandusky. 

"Sandusky is a considerable river abounding in level 
land, its stream gentle all the way to the mouth, where it 
is large enough to receive sloops. The northern Indians 
cross Lake Erie here from island to island, land at San- 
dusky, and go by a direct path to the lower Shawnee town, 
and thence to the gap of the Ouasioto mountain, in their 
way to the Cuttawa country. 

"Little Mineami River is too small to navigate with 
battoes. It has much fine land and several salt springs; 
its high banks and gentle current prevent its much over- 
flowing the surrounding lands in freshes. 

"Great Mineami, Assereniet, or Rocky River, has a very 
stony channel ; a swift sti-eam, but no falls. It has several 
large branches, passable with boats a great way; one ex- 
tending westward towards the Quiaghtena River, another 
towards a branch of Mineami River ( which runs into Lake 
Erie), to which there is a portage, and a third has a port- 
age to the west branch of Sandusky, besides Mad Creek, 
where the French formerly established themselves. Ris- 
ing ground, here and there a little stony, which begins in 
the northern part of the peninsula, between the Lakes Erie, 
Huron, and Michigan, and extends across little Minejimi 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 299 

River below the Forks, and southwardly along the Rocky 
River to Ohio. 

"Bnft'aloe River falls into the Ohio on the eastern side 
of it, at the distance of 925 computed miles from Fort Pitt. 
It is a very considerable branch of the Ohio; is 200 yards 
wide, navigable upwards of 150 miles for battoes or barges, 
of thirty feet long, five feet broad, and three feet deep, 
carrying about seven tons, and can be navigated much 
farther with large canoes. The stream is moderate. The 
lauds on both sides of the river are of a most luxuriant 
(|uality, for the production of hemp, flax, wheat, tobacco, 
etc. They are covered with a great variety of lofty, and 
useful timbers; as oak, hickory, mulberry, elm, etc. Sev- 
eral persons who have ascended this river say, that salt 
springs, coal, lime, and free stone, etc., are to be found in 
a variety of places. 

"The Wabash is a beautiful river, with high and up- 
right banks, less subject to overflow than any other river 
( the Ohio excepted) in this part of America. It discharges 
itself into the Ohio, one thousand and twenty-two miles 
below Fort Pitt, in latitude 37° 41'. At its mouth it is 
270 yards wide; is navigable to Ouiatanon (412) miles) 
in the spring, siimmer, autumn, with battoes or barges, 
drawing about three feet water. From thence, on account 
of a rocky bottom, aud slioal watei-, large canoes are chiefly 
employed, except when the river is swelled with rains, at 
which time it may be ascended with boats, such as I liave 
just described (197 miles further) to the Miami carrying 
place, which is nine miles from the :\Iiami village, and this 
is situated on a river of the same name, that runs into the 
south-southwest part of Lake Erie. The stream of the 
Wabash is generally gentle to Fort Ouiatanon, and no 
where obstructed with falls, but is by several rapids, both 
above and below that foi-t, some of which are pretty con- 



300 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

siderable. There is also a part of the river, for about three 
miles, and thirty miles from the cari\ying place, where the 
chanuel is so narrow, that it is necessary to make use of 
setting poles, instead of oars. The land on this river is 
remarkably fertile, and several parts of it are natural 
meadow, of great extent, covered with fine long grass. The 
timber is large, and high, and in such variety, that al- 
most all the different kinds growing upon the Ohio and its 
branches (but with a greater proportion of black and white 
mulberry ti-ees) may be found here. A silver mine has 
been discovered about twenty-eight miles above Ouiatanon, 
on the northern side of the Wabash, and piobably others 
may be found hereafter. The Wabash abounds with salt 
springs, and any quantity of salt may be made from them, 
in the manner now done at the Saline in the Illinois coun- 
try — the hills are replenished with the best coal, and there 
is plenty of lime and free stone, blue, yellow, and white 
clay, for glass work and pottery. Two I^rench settlements 
are established on the Wabash, called Post Vincient and 
Ouiatanon; the first is 150 miles, and the other 162 miles 
from its mouth. The formei- is on the eastcT-n side of the 
river, and consists of sixty settlers and their families. 
They raise Indian corn, wheat, and tobacco of an extra- 
ordinary good quality; superior, it is said, to that pro- 
duced in Virginia. They have a fine bi-eed of horses 
(brought originally by the Indians from the Spanish settle- 
ments on the western side of the river Mississippi), and 
large stocks of swine and black cattle. The settlers deal 
with the natives for furs and deer skins, to the amount of 
about 5,000 lbs. annually. Hemp of a good texture grows 
spontaneously in the low lands of the Wabash, as do 
grapes in the greatest abundance, having a black, thin 
skin, and of which the inhabitants in the autumn make a 
sufficient quantity (for their own consumption'! of well- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 301 

tasted red-wine. Hops large and good are found in many 
places, and the lands are particularly adapted to the cul- 
ture of rice. All European fruits — apples, peaches, pears, 
cherries, currants, gooseberries, melons, etc., thrive well, 
both here, and in the country bordering on the river Ohio. 

"Ouiatanon is a small stockaded fort on the western 
side of the Wabash, in which about a dozen families re- 
side. The neighbouring Indians are the Kickapoos, Mus- 
quitons, Pyankishaws, and a pi'incipal part of the Ouiatan- 
ons. The whole of these tribes consist, it is supposed, of 
about one thousand warriors. The fertility of soil, and 
diversity of timber in this country, are the same as in the 
vicinity of Post Vincient. The annual amount of skins and 
furs obtained at Ouitanon is about 8,000 lbs. By the river 
Wabash, the inhabitants of Detroit move to the southern 
parts of Ohio, and the Illinois country. Their rout is by 
the Miami river to a carrying-place, which, as l)efore stated, 
is nine miles to the Wabash, when this river is raised with 
freshes; but at other seasons, the distance is from eighteen 
to thirty miles, including tlie portage. The whole of the 
latter is through a level country. Carts are usually em- 
ployed in transporting boats and merchandise from the 
Miami to the Wabash River. 

"Tiie Shawaiioe River empties itself on the eastern side 
of Ohio, about ninety-five miles southwardly of the ^Vabash 
liiver. It is 250 yards wide at its month, has been mivi- 
gated 180 miles in battoes of the construction of those men- 
tioned in the preceding article, and from the depth of water 
at that distance from its mouth, it is presumed, it may be 
navigated much further. The soil and timber of the lands, 
upon this river, are exactly the same as those upon Buf- 
faloe River. 

"The Cherokee River discharges itself into the Ohio on 
the same side that tlie Shawanoe River does, that is, thir- 



302 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

teen miles below or southerly oi' it, and eleven miles above, 
or northerly of the place where Fort Massac formerly 
stood, and fifty-seven miles from the confluence of the Ohio 
with the river Mississippi. The Cherokee River has been 
navigated 900 miles from its mouth. At the distance of 220 
miles from thence, it widens from 400 yards (its general 
width) to between two and three miles, and continues this 
breadth for near thirty miles farther. The whole of this 
distance is called the Muscle Shoals. Here the channel is 
obstructed with a number of islands, formed by trees and 
drifted wood, brought hither, at different seasons of the 
year, in freshes and floods. In passing these islands, the 
middle of the widest intermediate water is to be navigated, 
as there it is deepest. From the mouth of the Cherokee 
River to Muscle Shoals the current is moderate, and both 
the high and low lands are rich, and abundantly covered 
with oaks, walnut, siigar trees, hickory, etc. About 200 
miles above these shoals is, what is called, the Whirl, or 
Suck, occasioned, I imagine, by the high mountain, which 
there confines the river (supposed to be the Laurel moun- 
tain ) . The Whirl, or Suck, continues rapid for about three 
miles. Its width about fifty yards. Ascending the Chero- 
kee River, and at about 100 miles from the Suck, and upon 
the south-eastern side of that river, is Highwasee River. 
Vast tracts of level and rich land border on this river ; but 
at a small distance from it, the country is much broken. 
and some parts of it produce only pine trees. Forty miles 
higher up the Cherokee River, on the northwestern side, is 
Clinche's River. It is 150 yards wide, and about fifty 
miles up it several families are settled. From Clinche's 
to Tenesee River is 100 miles. It comes in on the eastern 
side, and is 250 yards wide. About ten miles up this river, 
is a Cherokee town, called Chota, and further up this 
branch are several other Indian towns, possessed by In- 



UNITED STATES OP AMERICA 303 

diaiis, called the Overliill Cherokees. The navigation of 
this branch is much interrupted by rocks, as is also the 
river called French Broad, which comes into the Cherokee 
River fifty miles above the Tenesee, and on the same side. 
One hundred and fifty miles above French Broad is Long 
Island (three miles in length) and from thence to the 
soiu'ce of the Cherokee River is sixty miles, and the whole 
distance is so rocky, as to be scarcely navigable with a 
canoe. 

"By tJie Cherokee River, the emigrants from the fron- 
tier counties of Virginia, and North Carolina, pass to the 
settlements in West Florida, upon the river Mississippi. 
They embark at Long Island. 

"I will now proceed to give a description of that part 
called the Illinois country, lying between the Mississippi 
westerly, the Illinois River northerly, the Wabash east- 
erly, and the Ohio southerly. 

"The land at the confluence, or fork of the rivers Miss- 
issippi and Ohio, is above twenty feet higlier than the com- 
mon surface of these rivers; yet so considerable are the 
spring floods, that it is generally overflowed for about a 
week, as are the lands for several miles back in the coun- 
try. — The soil at the fork is composed of mud, earth, and 
sand, accumulated from the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. 
It is exceedingly fertile, and in its natural state yields 
hemp, pea-vines, grass, etc., and a great variety of trees, 
and in particular the aspen tree, of an unusual height and 
thickness. 

"For twenty-five miles up the Mississippi (from the 
Ohio) the country is rich, level, and well timbered; and 
then several gentle rising grounds appear, wliich gradually 
diminish at the distance of between four and five miles east- 
ward from the rivei'. From thence to the Kaskaskias Rivei- 
is sixty-five miles. The country is a mixture of hills, and 



304 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

vallies ; some of the former are rocky and steep ; but they, 
as well as the vallies, are shaded with fine oaks, hickory, 
walnut, ash, and mulberi*y trees, etc. Some of the high 
grounds afford most pleasant situations for settlements. 
Their elevated and airy positions, together with the great 
luxuriance of the soil, everywhere yielding plenty of 
grass, and useful plants, promise health, and ample re- 
turns to industrious settlers. 

"Many quarries of lime, free-stone, and marble, have 
been discovered in this part of the country. 

"Several creeks and rivers fall into the Mississippi, in 
the above distance (of sixty-five mUes), but no I'emarkable 
ones, except the rivers Vase and Kaskaskias; the former 
is navigable for battoes about sixty, and the latter for 
about 130 miles; — both these I'ivei's run through a rich 
country, abounding in extensive, natural meadows, and 
numerous herds of buffaloe, deer, etc. 

"The high grounds, just mentioned, continue along the 
eastern side of the Kaskaskias River, at a small distance 
from it, for the space of five miles and a half, to the Kas- 
kaskias village; then they incline more towards that river, 
and run nearly parallel with the eastern bank of the Miss- 
issippi, at the distance of about three miles in some parts, 
and four in other parts from it. These are principally 
composed of lime and free-stone, and from 100 to 130 feet 
high, divided in several places by deep cavities, through 
which many small rivulets pass before they fall into the 
Mississippi. The sides of tliese hills, fronting this river, 
are in many places perpendicular — and appear like solid 
pieces of stone masonry, of various colours, figures, and 
sizes. 

"The low land between the hills aud the Mississippi, 
begins on tlie north side of the Kaskaskias River, and con- 
tinues for three miles above the river Missouri, where a 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 305 

high ridge terminates it, and forms the eastern bank of 
the Mississippi. — This interval land is level, has few trees, 
and is of a very rich soil, yielding shrubs and most fra- 
grant flowers, which, added to the number and extent of 
meadows and ponds dispersed through this charming val- 
ley', render it exceedingly beautiful and agreeable. 

"In this vale stand the following villages, namely, Kas- 
kaskias, which, as already mentioned, is five miles and a 
half up a river of the same name, running northerly and 
southerly. — This village contains eigtliy houses, many of 
them well built; several of stone, with gardens, and large 
lots adjoining. It consists of about 500 white inhabitants, 
and between four aud five hundred negroes. The former 
have large stocks of black cattle, swine, etc. 

"Three miles northerly of Kaskaskias, is a village of 
Illinois Indians (of the Kaskaskias tribe) containing 
about 210 persons and sixty wari-iors. They were formerly 
brave and war-like, but are degenerated into a drunken 
and debauched tribe, and so indolent, as scarcely to pro- 
cure a sufficiency of skins and furs to barter for clothing. 

"Nine miles further northward than the last mentioned 
nllage, is another, called La Prairie du Kocher, or the 
Rock meadows. It consists of 100 white inhabitants, and 
eighty negroes. 

"Three miles northerly of this place, on the banks of 
the Mississippi, stood Fort Chartres. It was abandoned in 
the year 1772, as it was rendered untenable by the constant 
washings of the river Mississippi in high floods. — The vil- 
lage of Foi"t Chartres, a little southward of the fort, con- 
tained so few inhabitants, as not to deserve my notice. 

"One mile higher up the Mississippi than Fort Char- 
tres, is a village settled by 170 warriors of the Piorias and 
Mitchigamias (two other tribes of the Illinois Indians) : 

20 



306 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

They are as idle and debauched as the tribe of Kaskaskias 
which I have just described. 

"Four miles higher than the preceding village, is St. 
Philip's. It was formerly inhabited by about a dozen fami- 
lies, but at present is possessed only by two or three. — 
The others have retired to the western side of the Miss- 
issippi. 

"Forty-five miles further northwards than St. Philip's 
(and one mile up a small river on the .southern side of it) 
stands the village of Cahokia. It has fifty houses, many 
of them well built, and 300 inhabitants, possessing eighty 
negroes, and large stocks of black cattle, swine, etc. 

"Four miles above Cahokia, on the western or Spanish 
side of the Mississippi, stands the village of St. Louis, on 
a high piece of ground. It is the most healthy and pleasur- 
able situation of any known in this part of the country. 
Hei'e the Spauisli commandant and the principle Indian 
traders reside; who, by conciliating the affections of the 
natives, have drawn all the Indian trade of the Missouri ; 
— part of that of the Mississippi (northwards), and of the 
tribes of Indians residing near the Ouisconsing and Illi- 
nois rivers, to this village. In St. Louis are 120 houses, 
mostly built of stone. They are large and commodious. 
This village has 800 inhabitants, chiefly French ; — some of 
them have had a liberal education, are polite, and hospit- 
able. They have about 150 negroes, and large stocks of 
black cattle, etc. 

"Twelve miles below, or southerly of Fort Ohartres, on 
the western bank of the Mississippi, and nearly opposite 
to the village of Kaskaskias, is the village of St. Genevieve, 
or Missire. It contains upwards of 100 houses, and 460 
inhabitants, besides negroes. This and St. Louis are all 
the villages that are upon the western or Spanish side of 
the Mississippi. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 307 

"Four miles below St. Genevieve (on the western bank 
of the Mississippi), at the mouth of a creek, is a hainlet, 
called the Saline. Here all the salt is made, which is used 
in the Illinois country, from a salt spring that is at this 
place. 

"In the several villages on the Mississippi, which [ 
have just described, there were, so loug ago as the year 
1771, twelve hundred and seventy-three fencible meu. 

"The Ridge which forms the eastern bank of the Miss- 
issippi, above the Missoui-i River, continues northerly to 
the Illinois River, and then directs its course along the 
eastern side of that river, for about 220 miles, when it de- 
clines in gentle slopes, and ends in extensive rich savan- 
nahs. On the top of this ridge, at the mouth of the Illi- 
nois River, is an agreeable and commanding situation for 
a fort, and though the ridge is high and steep (about 130 
feet high), and rather difficult to ascend, yet when as- 
cended, it affords a most delightful prospect. — The Miss- 
issippi is distinctly seen from its sumnut for more thau 
twenty miles, as are the beautiful meanderings of the Illi- 
nois River for many leagues; — next a level, fruitful 
meadow presents itself, of at least one hundred miles of 
circviit on the western side of the Mississippi, watered by 
several lakes, and shaded by small groves or copses of 
trees, scattered in different part of it, and then the eye 
with rapture surveys, as well the high lands bordering 
upon the river Missouri, as those at a greater distance up 
the MiSvSissippi. — In fine, this charming ridge is covered 
with excellent grass, large oak, walnut trees, etc., and at 
the distance of about nine mUes from the Mississippi, up 
the Illinois River, are seen many large savannahs, or 
meadows abounding in buffalo, deer, etc. 

"In ascending the Mississippi, Cape an Gres parti- 
cularly attracted my attention. — It is about eight leagues 



:{()8 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

above the Illinois Kiver, on the eastern side of the Miss- 
issippi, and continues above live leagues on that river. 
There is a gi'adual descent back to delightful meadows, and 
to beautiful and furtile uplands, watered by several rivu- 
lets, which fall into the Illinois River between thirty and 
forty miles from its entrance into the Mississippi, and into 
the latter at Cape an Gres. The distance from the Miss- 
issippi to the River Uliuois across the country, is lessened 
or increased, according to tlie windings of the former 
river; — the smallest distance is at Cape au Gres, and there 
it is between four and five miles. The lauds in this in- 
termediate space between the above two rivers are rich, 
almost beyond parallel, covered witli hvrge oaks, walnut, 
etc., and not a stoue is to be seen, except upon the sides 
of the river. — It is even acknowledged by the French in- 
habitants, that if settlements were only begun at Cape au 
Gres, those upon the Spanish side of the Mississippi would 
be abandoned, as the former would excite a constant suc- 
cession of settlers, and intercei)t all the trade of the upper 
Mississippi. 

"The Illinois River furnishes a communication with 
Lake Michigan, by the Chicago River, and by two portages 
between the latter and the Illinois River; the longest of 
which does not exceed four miles. 

"The Illinois country is in general of a superior soil to 
any other part of North America that I have seen. It 
produces fine oak, hickory, cedar, mulberry trees, etc., some 
dying roots and medical plants; — hops and excellent wild 
grapes, and in the year 1769, one luindred and ten hogs- 
heads of well-tasted and strong wine were made liy tiie 
French settlers from these grapes, — a large (juantity of 
sugar is also annually made from the juice of the maple 
tT-ee; and as the mulberry trees are strong and numerous, I 
presume the making of silk will employ the attention and 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 309 

industry of the settlers, wheu the couutiy is more inhabited 
than it is at present, and especially as the winters ai-e 
much more moderate, and favourable for the breed of silk 
worms, than they are iu mauy of the sea coast provinces. — 
Indigo may likewise be successfully cultivated ( luit uot 
more than two cuttings in a year) ; wheat, peas, and Indian 
corn thrive as well, as does every sort of grain and pulse, 
that is produced in any of the old colonies. ( Jreat quanti- 
ties of tobacco are also yciirly raised by the inhabitants 
of the Illinois, liotli for their own consumption, and that 
of the Indians; bat little lias hitherto been exported to 
Europe. Hemp grows spontaneously, and is of a good 
texture; its common height is ten feet, and its thickness 
three inches (the latter reckoned within about a foot of 
the root), and with little labour any quantity may be cul- 
tivated. Flax seed has liithcrto been only raised in small 
quantities. There has. ho\^ever, been enough produced to 
show that it may be sown to the greatest advantage. Ap- 
ples, pears, peaches, and all other European fruits, suc- 
ceed admirably. Irou, copper, and lead mines, as also salt 
springs, liave been discovered in different parts of this 
territory. Tlie two latter are worked on the Spanish side 
of the MivSsissippi, with considerable advantage to their 
owners. There is plenty of fish in the rivers, particularly 
cat, carp, and perch, of an uncommon size. — Savannahs, or 
natural meadows, are both numerous and extensive; yield- 
ing excellent grass, and feeding great herds of buffaloe, 
deer, etc. — ducks, teal, geese, swans, cranes, pelicans, tur- 
kies, pheasants, partridges, otc, such as are seen in the 
sea coast colonies arc in (he greatest variety and abund- 
ance.— In short, every tiling that reasonable mind can de- 
sire is to be found, or may, with little pains, be produced 
here. 

"Niagara Fort is a most important post. It secures a 
greater number of communications througli a larger conn- 



310 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

ti*y than probably any other pass in interior America ; — it 
stands at the entrance of a strait, by which Lake Ontario 
is joined to Lake Erie, and the latter is connected with the 
three great lakes, Hnron, Michigan, and Superior. About 
nine miles above Fort Niagara the carrying place begins. 
It is occasioned by the stupendous cataract of that name. 
The quantity of water which tumbles over this fall is un- 
paralleled in America; — its height is not less than 137 
feet. This fall would interrupt the communication be- 
tween the Lakes Ontario and Erie, if a i*oad was not made 
up the hilly country that borders upon the strait. This 
road extends to a small post eighteen miles from F'ort 
Niagara. Here the traveller embarks in a battoe or canoe, 
imd proceeds eighteen miles to a small fort at Lake Erie. 
Ft may be proper also to add, that at the end of the flrsi 
two mUes, in the last-mentioned distance of eighteen miles, 
the stream of the river is divided by a large island, above 
nine miles in length; and at the upper end of i(, about a 
mile f)-om Lake Erie, are three or four islands, not far 
from each other; — these islands, by interrupting and con- 
fining the waters discharged from the lake, gi-eatly increase 
the rapidity of the stream ; which indeed is so violent, that 
the stiff est gale is scarcely sufficient to enable a large 
vessel to stem it; but is successfully resisted in small bat- 
toes, or canoes, that are rowed near the shore. 

"Lake Erie is about 225 miles in length, and upon a 
medium about forty miles in breadth. It affords a good 
navigation for shipping of any burthen. The coast, on 
both sides of the lake, is generally favourable for the pas- 
sage of battoes and canoes. Its banks in many places have 
a flat sandy shore, particularly to the eastward of the 
peninsula, called Long Point, which extends into the lake, 
in a south-eastern direction, for upwards of eighteen miles, 
and is more than five miles wide in the broadest part ; but 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 311 

the isthmus, by which it joins the contiuent, is scarcely 
200 yards wide. The peuinsula is composed of sand, and 
is very convenient to haul boats out of the surf upon (as 
is almost every other part of the shore) when the lake is 
too rough for rowing or sailing ; yet there are some places 
wliere, in boisterous weather (on account of their great 
[)erpendicular height), it would be dangerous to approach, 
and impossible to land. 

"Lake Erie has a great variety of fine fish, such as stur- 
geon, eel, white fish, trout, perch, etc. 

''The country, northward of this lake, is in many parts 
swelled with moderate hills, but no high mountains. The 
climate is temperate, and the air healthful. The lands are 
well timbered (but not generally so rich as those upon the 
southern side of the lake), and for a considerable distance 
from it, and for several miles eastward of Cayahoga Eiver, 
they appear quite level and extremely fertile; and except 
where extensive savannahs, or natural meadows intervene, 
are covered with large oaks, walnut, ash, hickory, mul- 
berry, sassafras, etc., etc., and produce a great variety of 
shrubs and medicinal roots. — Here also is gi-eat plenty of 
buffalo, deer, turkies, partiidges, etc. 

"Fort Detroit is of an oblong figure, built with stock- 
ades, and advantageously situated, with one entire side 
commanding the river, called Detroit. This fort is near a 
mile in circumference, and encloses about one hundred 
houses, built in a regular manner with parallel streets, 
crossing each other at right angles. Its situation is de- 
lightful, and in the centre of a pleasant, fruitful country. 

"The strait St. Clair (commonly called the Detroit 
River) is at its entrance more than three miles wide, but 
in ascending it, its width perceptibly diminishes, so that 
opposite to the fort (which is eighteen miles from Lake 



312 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

Erie) it does not exceed half a mile in width. From thence 
to Lake St. Clair it widens to more than a mile. The chan- 
nel of the strait is gentle, and wide, and deep enough for 
shipping of great burthen, although it is incommoded by 
several islands; one of which is more than seven miles in 
lengtli. These islands ai'e of a fertile soil, and from their 
situation afford a very agreeable appearance. For eight 
miles below, and the same distance above Fort Detroit, on 
both sides of the river, the country is divided into regular 
and well cultivated plantations, and from the contiguity of 
the farmers' houses to each othei*, they appear as two long 
extended villages. The inhabitants, who are mostly 
French, are about 2,000 in number; 500 of whom are as 
good marksmen, and as well accustomed to the woods, as 
the Indian natives themselves. They raise large stocks 
of black cattle, and great quantities of corn, which they 
grind by windmills, and manufacture into excellent flour. 
— The chief trade of Detroit consists in a barter of coarse 
European goods with the natives for furs, deer skins, tal- 
low, etc., etc. 

"The rout from Lake St. Clair to Lake Huron, is up a 
strait or river, about 400 yards wide. This river derives 
itself from Lake Huron, and at the distance of thirty-three 
miles loses itself in Lake St. Clair. It is in general rapid, 
but particularly so near its course; — its channel, and also 
that of Lake St. Clair, are sufficiently deep for shipping 
of very considerable burthen. This strait has several 
mouths, and the lands lying between them are fine mead- 
ows. The country on both sides of it, for fifteen miles, has 
a very level appearance, but from thence to Lake Huron, it 
is in many places broken, and covered with white pines, 
oaks, maple, birch, and beech." 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 313 

THOUGHTS ON THE DURATION OF THE AMERICAN COMMON- 
WEALTH 

There is a greater probability that the duration of the 
American commonwealth will be longer than any empire 
that has hitherto existed. For it is a truth, universally 
admitted, that all tlie advantages which ever attended any 
of the monarchies in the old world, all center in the new ; 
together with many others, which they never enjoy. The 
four great empires, and the dominions of Charlemaign, and 
the Turks, all rose by conquests; none by the arts of peace. 
On the contrary, the territoi*y of the United States has been 
planted and reared by a union of liberty, good conduct, 
and all the comforts of domestic virtue. 

All the great monarchies were formed by the conquest 
of kingdoms, different in arts, manners, language, tem- 
per, or religion, from the conquerors; so that the union, 
though in some cases very strong, was never the real and 
intimate connection of the same people; and this circum- 
stance principally accelerated their ruin, and was abso- 
lutely the cause of it in some. 

This will be very different in the Americans. They 
will, in their greatest extent and population, be one and 
the same people ; the same in language, religion, laws, man- 
ners, tempers, and pursuits; for the small variation \u 
.some districts, owing to the settlement of Germans, is an 
exception so very slight, that in a few ages it will be un- 
known. 

The Assyrian and Roman empires were of very slow 
growth, and therefore lasted the longest; but still their in- 
crease was by conquest, and tlie union of dissonant parts. 
The Persian and ^facedonian monarchies were soon found 
ed and presently overturned ; the foi'mer not lasting so 
long as the Assyrian, noi- a sixth of the duration of the 
Roman; and to the Macedonian, it lasted but six years. 



314 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 

This advantage of a slow growth is strong in favour of 
the Americans; the wonderful increase of their numbers 
is the natural effect of plenty of land, a good climate, and 
a mild and beneficient government, in which corruption 
and tyranny are wholly unknown. Some centuries are 
already past since their first settlement, and many more 
will pass before their power appears in its full splendour; 
but the quickness of a growth that is entirely natural will 
carry with it no marks of decay, being entirely different 
from monarchies founded by force of arms. The Roman 
em/pire perished by the hands of northern barbarians, 
whom the masters of the world disdained to conquer; it 
will not be so with the Americans, they spread gradually 
over the whole continent, insomuch that two hundred 
years hence there probably will be nobody but themselves 
in the whole northern continent; from whence therefore 
should tlieir Goths and Vandals come? Nor can they ever 
have any thiug to fear from the south; first, because that 
ronntrv will never be i>opulous, owing to the possession 
of mines; secondly, there are several nations and languages 
planted and remaining in it; thirdly, the most consider- 
able part of it lies in the torrid zone ; a region that never 
yet sent forth nations of conquerors. 

In extent the habitable parts of North America exceed 
that of any of the four empires, and consequently can feed 
and maintain a people much more numerous than the 
Assyrians or the Romans. The situation of the region is 
so advantageous that it leaves nothing to be wishefl for; 
it can have no neighbours from whom there is a possi- 
bility of attack or molestation; it will possess all the solid 
advantages of the Chinese empire without the fatal neigh- 
bourhood of the Tartars. 

It will have further the singular felicity of all the ad- 
vantages of an island, that is, a freedom from the attacks 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 315 

of others, and too laauy difficulties, with too gi-eat a dis- 
tance, to engage in the enterprises that heretofore provt^J 
the ruin of other monarchies. 

The soil, the climate, production, and face of the con- 
(iuent, is formed by nature for a great, indeiiendeut, and 
permanent government; fill it with people who will of 
(hemselves, of course, possess all sorts of manufactui-os. 
and you will find it yielding every necessary and conven- 
ience of life. Such a vast tract of country, possessing such 
singular advantages, becoming inhabited by one people, 
speaking the same language, i)rofessing the same religion, 
and having the sauu' manners; attaining a po])ubili()ii 
equal to that of the greatest empire; sprung from an ac- 
live and industrious nation, who has transfused into them 
their own industry and spirit, and seen them worthy of 
I heir original; inhabiting a soil not dangerously fertile, 
nor a clime generally conducive to etfeminacy; accus- 
tomed to commerce; such i)eople must fouml a common 
wealth as indissoluble as humanity will allow . Suffice i( 
for England, that she will have been the origin of a com- 
monwealth gi'eater and more durable than any former 
monarchy; that her language and her manners will flour- 
ish among a people who will one day become a splendid 
spectacle in the vast eye of the universe. This flattering 
idea of immortality no other nation can hope to attain. 

And here let me make an observation that should ani- 
mate the authors in the English language with an ardour 
that cannot Ix- infused into those of any other nation; it 
is the pleasing idea of living among so great a people, 
through almost a peri)etuity of fanu', and under almost .-ni 
impossibility of becoming, like the Greek and Latin (on- 
gues, dead ; known only by the learned. Increasing time 
will bring increasing readers, until their names become 
i-epeated with pleasure by above an hundred millions of 
people ! 



316 NEW TRAVELS IN THE 



CONTENTS 



I. From M. Claviere to M. Warville, hint- 
ing a Plan of Observation on the Po- 
litical, Civil, and Military Existence of 

the United St<ites 33 

II. Soil, Productions, Emigrations - - - 37 

III. Plan of each Settlement to be formed 

in the United States 40 

IV. Enquiries on the best Mode of Emi- 
grating 47 

V. On the Purchase of Lands, and the 

Amei'ican Funds 48 

\l. Method of Obsei*vations to be Pursued 

in these Travels 49 

I. F'rom M. Warville to M. Claviere, from 

Havre de Grace - - 54 

II. Observations on Boston 59 

III. Journey from Boston to New York 
through Connecticut "fi 

IV. From Boston to New York by Provi- 
dence 89 

V. On New York 94 

VI. Journey from New York to Phila- 
delphia 106 

VII. Visit to Burlington, and to the House 

of M. Frauklin 112 

VIII. Visit to the Farm of a Quaker - - - 113 

IX. Visit from Warner Miflin llfi 

X. Funeral of a Quaker. A Quaker Meet- 
ing 118 

XI. The Bettering-Hous« 123 



UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA 



:n', 



XII. Hospital for Lunaticks 128 

XIII. On Benjamin Franklin 130 

XIV. Steam Boat. Reflexions on the Charac- 
ter of the Americans ami the English - 142 

XV. The Agricultural Society. Tlie Lilirary 144 
XVI. On the INlarket of Philadelphia - - - 14f> 
XVII. On the Oeneral Assembly of Pennsyl- 
vania and the Farm of Mr. L. - - - I4,s 
XVIII. Journey of M. Saugraiu to the Ohio - 154 
XIX. The Scliool for Blacks at Philadelphia 157 
XX. The Endeavours used to Aliolish Slav- 
ery 161 

XXI. The Laws made in DitlVrent States for 

the Abolition of Slavery KU 

XXII. General State of the Blacks in the 
United States. TMieir Manners and 

Character, etc. 169 

Addition to the Preceeding Letter, on 
the Labours of the Ditfei-ent Societies 
in Favour of the Blacks 17(5 

XXIII. On Substituting the Sugar of .Maple to 
the Sugar of Cane; and its Conse- 
quences on the Fate of the Blacks - - 180 

XXIV. A Project for Be-transi)()rting the 
Blacks to Africa 183 

XXV. Philadelphia, its liuilding. Police. 

Manners, etc. - 18(i 

XXVI. On the Progress of (Mearing and Culti- 
vating Land 1J)7 

XXVII. Climate of Philadelpliia: its Diseases, 

etc. 202 

XXVIII. The Diseases Most Comnudi in the 

United Stat^^s 206 



318 



TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 



XXIX. Longevity — Calculations on the Proba- 
bilities of Life in the United State.s — 

Their Population 210 

, XXX. Prisons in Philadelphia, and Prisons in 

General 220 

XXXI. On the Quakers; Their Private Morals, 

Their Manners, Customs, etc. - - - 223 
XXXIT. On the Reproaches Cast Upon the 

Quakers by Different Writers - - - 231 

XXXIII. Religious Principles of the Quakers - 23S 

XXXIV. Political Principles of the Quakei-s. 
Their Refusal to Take Anns, Pay 
Taxes, for War 24.1 

XXXV. Journey to Mount Vernon 250 

XXXVI. General Observations on Maryland and 

Virginia 25f> 

XXXVII. The Tobacco, and Tobacco Notes of 

Virginia 259 

XXXVIII. The Valley of Shenadore - - - - 263 

XXXIX. Journey from Boston to Portsmouth - 265 

XL. The Debt of the United States - - - 269 

XLI. Importations into the United States - 272 

XLII. Exportations from the United States - 275 

XLIII. Their Trade to the East Indies, and 

Their Navigation in General - - - 277 
XLIV. The Western Temtory, and the Dif- 
ferent Settlements in it 280 

Duration of the American Continent 313 



TRAVELS 
IN NORTH AMERICA 

In the Years 1780. 1781 and 1782 



By the 
MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX 

One of the forty members of the French Academy 

and Major General in the French Army, serving 

under the Count De Rochambeau 



Translated from the French by an English Gentleman 
who resided in America at that period 



INTRODUCTORY 

As a "couipaiiioii piece" to the wonderfnl story of Bris- 
sot lie W'ai'ville uoue seemed more tittiiig to the puhlisher 
than "Travels in North America" by the Marquis De 
Chastellux. A long prefatory article is not necessary as 
the story of his tour speaks for itself. It was not thouglit 
necessary to pul)lish these two volumes entire l)ut a care- 
ful and extended review has hc^m made and such parts as 
seemed of most interest taken with considerable fulness. 
Frances Jean Chastellux was both a military and literary 
genius of much note. He was one of tlie forty members of 
the French Academy, wliich he entei-ed in 1775, and was 
3fajor General in the French army, serving under tlie 
Count De Rocluuubeau. He was born in Paris in 1734 
and died in 1788. lie was connected with Voltaire in 
C\yclopedic writings and published numerous works on 
many different subj(»cts, auKUig the best being his trip to 
America. 

It will lie noted tliaf his (rav<'ls in this c(mutry, des- 
cribed in Ills journals, began in tlie fall of 1780 and luu 
well along into the autumn of 1782; the date of his later 
journeys being mentioned in the "Advertisement of the 
French Printer," or the preface, and ;ilso at the close of 
one or two of his articles. 

The Publisher. 



SI 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 323 



ADVERTISEMENT FROM O^HE FREXCH PRINTER 

The Public have beeii luiig iuformed that the Marquis 
de Chastellux had written Journals of his Travels in North 
America, and they seem to have wished to see those Jour- 
nals more generally diffused. The Author, who had ar- 
rangetl them solely for himself and for his friends, has 
constantly refused to make them public until (his moment. 
The first and most considerable, in fact, were [)rinted in 
America ; but only twenty-four impressions were struck off, 
and this with no other view than to avoid the multiplying 
of coi)ies, which were become indispensably necessary, in 
a country and at a time when there was very little hope of 
any packets reaching Europe, but by the means of du])li- 
cates. Besides that, he thought proper to avail himself 
of the small printing press on board the sipiadron at Rhode 
Island. Of these twenty-four impressions, not al)Ove ten 
or twelve reached Europe, and the Author had addressed 
them all to persons on whom he could rely, and wliom he 
had requested not to suffer any copies to I)e taken. The 
curiosity, however, which everything respecting America 
at that time inspired, excited much anxiety to read them. 
They passed successively through a great many hands, 
and there is reason to believe that the readers have not 
all been equally scrupulous; nor can it even be doubled 
that there exist some manuscript copies, which being hasti- 
ly executed, may be presumed to be incorrect. 

In the spring of 1782, the Marquis de Chastellux made 
a journey into Upper Virginia ; and, in the autumn of the 
same year, another into the States of Massachusetts, and 
New Hampshire, and the back jiai't of Pennsylvania. Ac- 
cording to custom, he wrote journals of these expeditions; 
but, being on his return to Europe, he reserved them to 



324 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

himself. Tliese therefore are kiKJWu ouly to a few friends, 
to whom lie lent them; for he invariably denied the request 
of many persons, and pai'ticulai'ly our own, to empower 
us to lay them before the Public. One of his friends how- 
ever, who has a very extensive correspondence in foregn 
counti-ies, having pressed him much to furnish him with 
at least a few detached extracts from these journals, for 
the purpose of inserting them in a j)eriodical work printed 
at Gotha, the object of which is to collect such works as 
have not been made public, he consented; and, during a 
whole year, there appeai'ed in each number of this Journal 
a few pages taken here and there from those of the Mar- 
quis de Chastellux. These extracts were not in a regular 
series, and were indifferently taken from the first and sec- 
ond parts of the Travels. The Author had used this pre- 
caution, to prevent the foreign booksellers from collecting 
them, and imposing them on the public as a complete work. 
Experience has proved the insufflciency of this precaution. 
A printer of Cassel, without any scruple, has collected 
these detached extracts, and without announcing that they 
had no coherencj', has printed them under the title of 
Voyages de Monsieur le Chevalier de Chastellux, the name 
the author bore two years ago. 

The publication of a work so mutilated and unmethodi- 
cal, and which the Marquis de Chastellux by no means 
expected, so far from flattering, could not but be displeas- 
ing to him. We deemed this a proper opportunity for re- 
newing our instances to him, and have, in consequence, 
obtained his original manuscript, to which he has been 
])leased to annex the charts and plans we have made use of. 
^Ye have lost no time in giving it to the public, and have 
exerted the utmost pains to render it, from the execution, 
worthy of the importance of the subject, and of the name 
and reputation of the Author. 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 325 



[Marquis de Chastellux I)egan his travels rtescribed 
herein, from his landing at Newport. He visited Provi- 
dence, describes intermediate points to Hartford, and tiie 
sections taken from liis work begin at the folhnviug point :] 

The state of Vermont is a vast country, situated to (he 
eastward of New Hampsliire and Massachusetts, and to 
the nortli of Connecticut, between the river of that name, 
and Hudson's river. As it is lately peopled, and has al- 
ways been an object of contention between the states of 
New York, and New Hampshire, there is, properly speak- 
ing, no established government. Ethan Allen celel)rated 
for the expedition he undertook in 1775 against Ticonder- 
oga, of his own accord, and without any other aid tlian 
that of the volunteers who followed him, has made him- 
self the chief of that country. He has formed tiiere an as- 
sembly of representatives; this assembly grants lands, mid 
the country is governed by its own laws, without having 
any connection with Congress. Tiie inhabitants however 
are not the less enemies of the English ; but under the pre- 
text that they form the frontier against Canada, and ai'e 
oliliged to guard it, they fui-nish no contigent to the ex- 
pences of the war. They had long no other name than 
that of Cireen ^fountain boys, but thinking this too ignoble 
an appellation for their new destiny, they ti-anslatcd 
Green Mountain into French ; which made Verd IMont, and 
by corruption Vermont. It remains to be seen whether it 
is by corruption also that this country has assumed the 
title of the state of Vermont. 

About four in the evening, I arrive<l at Hartford feri'y, 
after trnvelling over a. very inconvenient road, a great 
part of which forms a narrow causeway througli a marshy 
Avood. We pass this ferry, like all the others in Americii, 



326 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

in a flat boat with oars. I found the inns at Hartford so 
full that it was impossible to procure lodging. The four 
eastern states, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhole Is- 
land, and Connecticut, were then holding their assem- 
blies in that town. These four states have long maintained 
a particular connection with each other, and they meet 
together by de])uties, sometimes in one state, sometimes in 
another. Each legislature sends deputies. In a circum- 
stance, so uncommon in America, as room being wanted 
for men collected together, Colonel Wadsworth's house 
offered me a most agreeable asylum ; I lodgetl with him, as 
well as tlie Duke de Lauzun, who had passed me on the 
road. I\Ir. Duraas, who belonged to tlie staff of the army, 
and was then attaclied to the Duke de Lauzun, ^Ir. Lynch 
and I\lr. de Montesquieu were Avell accommodated in the 
neighbourhood. 

Colonel Wadsworth is abotit tAvo and thirty, very tall 
and well made, and has a noble as well as agreeable coun- 
tenance. He lived formerly on Long Island ; and from his 
infancy was engaged in commerce and navigation ; he had 
already made several voyages to the Coast of GTiinea and 
the West Indies, when according to the American expres- 
sion, the present contestation began. He then served in 
th(> army, and was in several actions; but Ceneral Wasli- 
ingtou discovering that his talents might be still usefully 
employed, made him Commissary of Provisions. Tliis is 
a military post in America, and those who fill it, are as 
miuch respected as the first officer of llic line. The Com- 
missary Oeneral is charged witli all tlie purchases, and the 
(Quarter Master with all tlie couAcyauces ; it is the latter 
who marks out the ground, establishes the magazines, pro- 
vides carriages, and distributes the rations; it is also on 
his receipts and orders that the Paymastei-s make their 
payments; he is, in shoit, properly speaking, a Military 



PEKFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 327 

Intendant, while the Commissary General may be cum- 
paretl to a Munitionuaire with us, who sliould undertake 
to provide forage as well as provisions. I think this ar- 
rangement as good as ours, though these departments 
liave not been exempt from abuses, and even blame in the 
course of the present war; but it must be observed, that 
whenever the government wants political force, and the 
treasury is without money, the administration of affairs 
is always ruinous, and often culpable. This reflection 
alone will afford sufficient subject for the eulogiom of Col. 
Wadsworth, when it is known that throughout all Amer- 
ica, there is not one voice against him, and that his name is 
never pronounced without the homage due to his talents 
and his probity. The particular confidence of General 
Washington puts the seal upon his merit. The Mar<iuis 
de la Fayette judged extremely well therefore in getting 
Mr. de Corny to employ him, in furnishing the provisions 
necessary for the French, troops which were then expected. 
As soon as they were disembarked at Rhode Island, he 
again proposed him as the most proper man in the world 
to assist them in all their wants, but those who had the 
direction of the army did not at that time think proper fo 
employ him. They even conceived some suspicions of him, 
from false ideas, and eagerly substituted for a Commis- 
sary of understanding and rejuitation, undertakers, with- 
out fortune, and without character; wlio promised every 
thing, performed nothing, and soon threw our affairs into 
confusion; first by augmenting the price of articles by pur- 
chases hastily made, and frequently in op])(isiti(ni one to 
another, and finally by throwing into circulation, and 
ofTering at a great discount, the bills of exchange they had 
engaged to receive for two-thirds of all theii- jiaynients. 
These bargains and contracts succeefle<l eventually so ill, 
that we were obligetl, but too late, to have recourse to Mr. 



328 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Wadswoi'th, who resumed the affairs witli as much noble- 
ness as he had quitted them; always as superior to in- 
quries by his character, as he is by his talents to the in- 
numei'able obstacles that surround him. 

Another interesting personage was then at Hartford, 
and I went to pay him a visit; this was Governor Trum- 
bull ; Governor, by excellence, for he has been so these 
fifteen years, having been always rechosen at the end of 
every two years, and equally possessing the public esteem 
under the English goverament, and under that of the 
Congress. He is seventy years old ; his whole life is conse- 
crated to business, which he passionately loves, whether 
important or not, or rather, with respect to him, there is 
none of the latter description. He has all the simplicity in 
his dress, all the importance, and even deportment becom- 
ing the great magisti'ate of a small republic. He brought 
to my mind the burgomasters of Holland in the time of the 
Heinsiuses and the Barnevelts. I had been informed that 
he was employed in a history of the present revolution, 
and I was curious to read this work ; I told him that I 
hoped to see him on my return at Lebanon (his place of 
abode), and that I should then request permission to look- 
over his manuscript; but he assured me that he had only 
written the introduction, Avhich he had addressed to the 
Chevalier de la Luzerne, our ambassador. I procured it 
during my stay at Philadelphia, but it is only an historical 
recapitulation, rather superficial, and by no means free 
from partiality in the manner of representing the events 
of the war. The only interesting fact I found in it, was the 
Journal of Govei'nor Wiuthrop, in the year IfiTO, where he 
says, that the members of the council of Massachusetts, 
being advised by their friends in London to addiess them- 
selves to the parliament, to whom the King then loft a 
great deal of authority, as the best means of obtaining tlie 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 329 

redress of some grievances, the council, after mature de- 
liberation, thought proper to decline the proposal, reflect- 
ing, that if they put themselves once under the protection 
of parliament, they should be obliged to submit to all the 
laws that assembly might impose, whether on the nation 
in general, or ou the colonies in jjarticular. Now, nothing 
can more strongly prove, that these colonies, even in the 
very origin, never acknowledged the authority of parlia- 
ment, nor imagined they could be bound by laws of their 
making. 

The 17th, in the uiorning, [apparently Nov. 17, 17S0 — 
Editor] I parted with regret from my host and the I)uk(> 
de Lanzun; but it was not till after breakfast, , for it is a 
thing unheard of in America to set off without breakfast. 
P.y this indispensable delay I had an opportunity of mak- 
ing acquaiutauce with General I'arsoos. He appeared io 
uie a seuvsible man, and he is so esteemed in his couutry; 
l)ut he has had little opportunity of displaying great mili- 
tary talents ; he was, in fact, what one uiust never l)e, in 
war, or in any thing, unfortunate. His outset was on 
Long Island, where he was taken, and he has since been 
in all the bad affairs, so that he is better knoAvn for his 
capacity in business, than for the share he has had in the 
events of the war. 

The road I had to travel becomiug henceforth difficult 
and rather desert, it was determined that I should not 
exceed ten miles that day, that I might meet with good 
quarters; and get my horses in oi-der f(ir the next day's 
journey. The place T was to stop at was I<"'armington. 
^fr. Wadswoi-th, fearing T should not find a good inn tlier(>, 
gave me a letter of reconimeudation to one of his rela- 
tions of the nanie of Lewis, where he assured me I should 
be well received, without incommoding any person, and 
without straightening myself, for that T should pay my 



330 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

reckoning as at an inn. In fact, when the taverns are bad, 
or that they are so situated as not to suit the convenience 
of the traveller, it is the custom in America, to ask for 
quarters of some individual at his ease, who can spai'e 
room in his house for you, and can give stabling for your 
horses; the traveller and his host then converse together 
on equal terms ; but he is paid merely as an inn-keeper. 

The town of Hartford does not merit any attention 
either in travelling through, or in speaking of it. It con- 
sists of a very long street, parallel with the river; it is 
pretty regular and connected, that is, the houses are not 
distant from each other. But it has many appendages; 
everything is Hartford six leagues round; but East Hart- 
ford, West Hartford, and New Hartford are distinct towns, 
though composed of bouses scattered througli the counti\y 
I have already mentioned what constitutes a town ; it is 
to have one or two meetings, particular assemblies, and the 
right of sending deputies to the general assembly. These 
townships may be compared to the curiae of the Romans. 
From a very lofty plain on the road to Farraington, one 
discovers not only all the Hai'tfords, but all that part of 
the continent watered by the river of that name, situated 
between tlie eastern and western chains of mountains. 
This place is called Rocky-hill. Tlie houses of West Hart- 
ford, frequently dispersed, and sometimes grouped to- 
gether, and every where adorned with trees and meadows, 
fonn of the road to Farmington such a garden, in the 
English style, as it would be difficult for ai't to imitate. 
Their iidiabitanis add some industry likewise to their rich 
culture; some common cloths and other woollen stuffs 
are fabricated here, but of a good wear, and sufficient to 
clothe the people who live in the country, or in any other 
town than Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. I went 
into a house where they were preparing and dying the 



PERFORMED BY M. I)e CHASTELLUX 331 

cloth. This cloth is luiule I),y tiie people of the country, 
aud is then sent to these little manufactories, where they 
are dressed, pressed, and dyed for two shillings, lawful 
money, per yard, which makes about thirty-five sols 
French, or seveuteen-peuce English, the Connecticut pound 
being equal to something more than three dollars. I 
reached Farmingtcm at three in the afternoon. It is a 
pretty little town, with a handsome meeting-house, and 
fifty houses collected, all neat and well built. It is situ- 
ated on the declivity of the mountains; the river which 
bears the same name runs at the foot of them, and turns 
towards the north, without shewing itself; but the view 
of the valley is notwithstanding very agreeable. Aftei' 
dismounting, 1 took advantage of the good weather, to 
take a walk in the streets, or rather in the highways. I 
saw through the windows of a house that they were work- 
ing at some trade; I entered, and found them making a 
sort of camblet, as well as another woollen stuff with blue 
and white stripes for women's dress; these stuffs are sold 
at three shillings and six-pence the yard lawful money, or 
about two and twenty-pence English. The sons and grand- 
sons of the family were at work; one workman can easily 
make five yards a day. The prime cost of the materials 
being only one shilling currency, the day's work may 
amount from ten to twelve. On my return from tliis walk 1 
found an excellent dinner prepared for me, without my 
having said a word to the family. After dinner, about tlie 
close of the day, Mr. l.ewis, who had been abroad on his 
affairs during a part of the day, came into the luii-lour 
where 1 was, seated himself l>y the fire, lighled his pipe, 
and entered into convcrsalion with me. I found liiin an 
active and intelligent man, well acqnainlcd with public 
affairs, and with his own; he carried on a trade of cattle, 
like all the farmers of Connecticut; he was then employed 



332 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

in furnishing provisions for the army, and was principally 
taken up in slaughtering, and salting cattle for the state 
of Connecticut to be sent to Fish-kill. For each state is 
obliged to furnish not only money, but other articles for 
the army ; those to the eastward supply it with cattle, rum, 
and salt ; and those to the westward with flour and forage. 
Mr. Lewis has borne arms also for his country ; he was at 
the affaris of Long Island and Saratoga, of which he gave 
me an exact account ; in the last he ser-ved as a volunteer. 
At tea time IMrs. Lewis and her sister-in-law gave us their 
company. IMi's. LeAvis had just recovered from lying-in, 
and had her child in her arms: she is near thirty, with a 
very agreeable face, and so amiable, and so polite a car- 
riage, as to present a picture of decency itself, in every 
country in I he world. The conversation was intere^stingly 
supported tlie whole evening. Tlie family retired at nine 
o'clock; I did not see them in the morning, and paid my 
bill to the servants ; it was neither dear nor cheap, but the 
just price of everything, regulated without interest, and 
A\'ithout compliments. 

I got on horseback at eight o'clock on the 18th, and at 
the distance of a mile fell in with the river of Farmington, 
along which I rode for some time. There was nothing in- 
teresting in this part of my journey, except that having 
fired my pistol at a jay, to my great astonishment the bird 
fell. This had been for many days an object of curiosity 
with me. and it is really a most beautiful creature. It is 
quite l)lue, but it unites all the various shades of that 
colour so as to surpass the invention of art, and be very 
difficult of imitation. I must remark by the bye, that the 
Americans call it only by the name of the blue-bird, though 
it is a real jay; but the Americans are far from being 
successful in enriching their native language. On every 
thing which wanted an I]nglish name, they have bestowed 



PEK FORMED BY M. Di: CBASTELLUX 333 

only a simple descriptive one; tlie jay is tlie blue bird, tin-, 
cardinal, the red bird; every water bird is a duck, from the 
teal to the canard de dois, and to the large black duck 
which we have not in Europe. They call them, red ducks, 
black ducks, wood ducks. It is the same with respect to 
their trees ; the pine, the cypresses, the firs, are all compre- 
hended under the general name of pine-trees; and if the 
people characterize any particular tree, it is from the use 
to which it is applied, as the wall-uut, from its serviug to 
the construction of wooden houses. I could cite many 
other examples, but it is sufficient to observe, that this 
poverty of language proves how much men's attention has 
been employed in objects of utility, and how much at the 
same time it has been circumscribed by the only prevail- 
ing interest, the desire of augmenting wealth, rather by 
dint of labour, than hj industry. But to return to my 
jay; I resolved to make a trophy of it, in the manner of the 
savages, by scalping it of its skin and feathers, and content 
with m.y victory, I pursued my journey, which soon brought 
me amidst the steepest and most difficult mountains I had 
yet seen. They are covered with woods as old as the crea- 
tion, but which do iu)t differ from ours. These hills, 
heaped confusedly one uixm another, oblige you to be 
continually mounting and descending, without your being 
able to distinguish, in this wild region, (lie suiiiiiiit, wliicli 
rising above the rent, announces to you a- coiu-lusion to 
your labours. This disorder of Nature reminded me of 
the lessons of him whom she had chosen for her confident 
and interpreter. The vision of Mr. de Butron api>eared 
to me in these ancient deserts. He seemed to be in his 
proper element, and to point out to me, under a slight 
crust formed by the destruction of vegetsibles, the in- 
equality of a globe of glass, which ha.s cooled after a long 
fusion. The waters, said he, have done notiiing here; look 



334 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

around you, you will not find a single calcareous stone; 
everything is quartz, granite, or flint. I made experiments 
on the stones with aqua fortis, and I could not help con- 
cluding, what has not obtained sufficient credit in Europe, 
not only that he speaks well, but that is always in the right. 
^Vhile I was meditating on the great process of Nature, 
which employs fifty thousand years in rendering the earth 
iiabitable, a new spectacle, well calculated as a contrast to 
those which I had been contemplating, fixed my attention, 
and excited my curiosity; this was the work of a single 
man, who in the spa*e of a year had cut down several ar- 
pents of Avood, and had built himself a house in the middle 
of a pretty extensive territory lie had already cleared. I 
saw, for the first time, what I have since observetl a hun- 
dred times; for, in fact, whatever mountains I have 
climbed, whatever forests I have traversed, whatever bye- 
paths I have followed, I have never travelled three miles 
without meeting with a new settlement, either beginning 
to take form, or already in cultivation. The following is 
the manner of proct^nling in these improvements, or new 
settlements. Any man who is able to procure a capital 
of five or «ix livres of our money, or about twenty-five 
pounds sterling, and who has strength and inclination to 
work, may go into the woods and purchase a portion of 
one hundred and fifty or two hundred acres of land, which 
seldom costs him more than a dollar or four shillings and 
six-pence an acre, a small part of which oul.y he pays in 
ready money. There he conducts a cow, some pigs, or a 
full sow, and two different liorses which do not cost him 
more than four guineas each. To these precautions lie 
adds that of having a provision of fiour and cyder. Pro- 
vided with this first capital, he begins by felling all the 
smaller trees, and some strong branches of the large ones ; 
these he makes use of as fences to the first field he wishes 



rERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 335 

to clear; lie next boldly attacks tiiose iiuniense oaks, or 
pines, which one wonkl take for the ancient lords of the 
territory he is nsurpiug; he strips theuii of their bark, or 
lays them open all round with his axe. These trees mor- 
tally wounded, are the next spring robbed of their honors; 
their leaves no longer spring, their branches fall, and their 
trunk becomes a hideous skelton. This trunk still seems 
to brave the efforts of the new colonist; but where there 
are the smallest chinks or crevices, it is surrounded by 
fire, and the llames consume what the iron was unable to 
destroy. But it is enough for the small trees to be felled, 
and the great ones to lose their sap. This object com- 
pleted, the ground is cleared ; the air and the sun begin to 
operate upon that earth which is wholly formed of rotten 
vegetables, and teems with the latent principles of produc- 
tion. The grass grows rapidly; there is pasturage for the 
cjittlc tlic very first year; afler which they are left to iu- 
ci'ease, or fresh ones ai*e biouglit, and they are employed 
in tilling a piece of ground wliich yields the enormous in- 
ci'ease of twenty or thirty U>\{]. The next year the same 
course is repeated; when, at llie end of two years, the 
jilanter has wherewithal to subsisi, and even to send some 
articles to nuirket; at the end of four or five years, he coiii- 
pletes the payment of his land, and finds himself a com- 
foi'table planter. Then his dwelling which at first was 
no better than a large hut formed in a scpiare of the trunks 
of trees, placed one upon another, with tiie intervals filled 
by mud, changes into a handsome wooden house, where he 
contrives more convenient, and certainly mucli cleauer 
apartnumts than those in the greatest part of our small 
towns. This is the work of three weeks or a month. His 
first habitation, that of eight and forty hours. I sliall be 
asked, perhaps, how one man, or one family can be so 
quickly lodged? I answer, that in America a man is never 



330 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

alone, never an isolated being. The neighbours, for they 
are everywhere to be found, make it a point of hospitality, 
to aid the new farmer. A cask of cyder drank in common, 
and with gaiety, or a gallon of rum, are the only recom- 
pense for these services. Such are the means by which 
North-America, which one hundred years ago was nothing 
but a vast forest, is peopled with three millions of in- 
habitants ; and such is the immense, and certain benefit of 
agriculture, that notwithstanding the war, it not only 
maintains itself wherever it has been established, but it 
extends to places which seems the least favourable to its 
introduction. Four years ago one might have travelled 
ten miles in the woods I traversed, without seeing a single 
habitation. 

Harrington is the first township I met with on my road. 
This place is sixteen miles from Farmingtou, and eight 
from Litchfield. Four miles before we come to this last 
town, we pass a wooden bridge over the river of Water- 
bury ; this river is pretty large, but not navigable. Litch- 
field, or the Meeting-house of Litchfield, is situated on a 
large plain more elevated than the surrounding heights; 
about fifty houses pretty near each other, with a large 
square, or rather area, in the middle, announces the pro- 
gress of the town, which is already the county town; for 
America is divided into districts, called Counties, in some 
Provinces, as in England. It is in the capital of these 
counties that the court of sessions is held where the Sheriff 
presides, and Avhere the Chief Judges come every four 
months to decide civil and criminal affairs. Half a mile 
on this side of Litchfield, I remarked, on the right, a bar- 
rack, surrounded by palisades, which appeai-ed to me like 
a guard-house; I approached it, and saw in this small in- 
closure ten pieces of brass cannon, a mortal*, and a swivel. 
This I learnt was a part of Burgoyne's artillery, which fell 



PEKFOIJMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 337 

to the sliai-e of the state of Conuecticut, aud was kept in 
this place as the most convenient!}' situated for the army, 
aud at the same time the least exposed to the incursions 
of the Euylish. 

it was four o'clock, aud the weather very had, when 1 
came near the house of a iMr. Seymour, to whom Mr. Lewis 
had given me a letter, assuring me tliat I should find hetter 
accommodations than at the taverns; but Mi: Lynch, who 
liad gone on a little before to make inquiries, informed me, 
that Mr. Seymour was from home, and that from all ap- 
pearance his wife wouhl he much embarrassed to receive 
us. The American women, in fact, are very little accus- 
tomed to give themselves trouble, either of mind or body ; 
the care of their children, that of making tea, and seeing 
the house kept cleau, constitutes the whole of their domes- 
tic province. I determined therefore to go straight to the 
tavern, where I was still unlucky enough not to find Mr. 
Philips, the landlord ; so that I was received, at least, with 
indifference, widch ofteu happens in the inns in America, 
when they are not in mucii frequented situations; travel- 
lers are there considered as giving them more troubhj than 
money. The reason of this is, that the inn-keepers are all 
of them cultivators, at their ease, who do not stand in need 
of tills slight profit; tlie greatest number of those wlio fol- 
low this profession are even compelled to it by tiie laws of 
the country, which have wisely provided, that on all the 
great roads there shall be a public house at the end of every 
six miles, for the accommodation of travellers. 

A still greater difficulty I had at Mrs. Thilips's, was, 
to find room for nine horses I had with nie. The (Quarter- 
Master at length made (hem ])lace some of them in Ihe 
stable of a private person, aud everything was arranged 
to my satisfaction, and that of my hosless. 1 cannot help 
renuirking, that nothing can be more useful than such an 

22 



338 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

officer, as well for the service of the state, as for that of 
any traveller of distinction. I have already spoken of the 
functions of the Quarter-Master-General, but I did not 
mention that he names a Deputy Quarter-Master-General 
in each state, and that the latter, in his town, names an 
assistant in each district to act in his room. My horses 
and baggage were scai'cely under cover, when a dreadful 
storm came on, which however, was in my favour, as it 
brought home Mr. Philips ; everything now assumed a new 
face in the house, the pantry flew open, the negroes re- 
doubled their activity, and Ave soon saw a supper prepar- 
ing with the most favourable auspices. Mr. Philips is an 
Irishman, translated to America, where he has already 
made a fortune; he appears to be cunning and adroit; and 
is cautious in talking to strangers; in other respects, he 
is more gay than the Americans, and even given to irony; 
a turn of mind but little known in America, and for which 
they have no specific name, any more than for the different 
species of trees and birds. Mrs. Philips, now seconded by 
her husband, and more mistress of her work, soon resumed 
her natural serenity. She is of American birth, and a true 
Yankee, as her husband told us; her face is gentle and 
agreeable, and her manners coi*respond entirely with lier 
features. 

The 19th I left Litchfield between nine and ten in tlie 
morning, and pursued my journey through the mountains, 
partly on foot and partly on horseback ; for having got into 
the habit of travelling from morning till night without 
stopping, I from time to time took pity on my horses, and 
spared them in those deserts which seemed formed for the 
roebuck rather than for carriages and laden horses. The 
name of the first town I came to, proclaims it to be of 
recent origin; it is called Washington. A new county 
being formed in the woods of Connecticut, the state has 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 339 

bestowetl on it this respectable name, the iiieniory of whieli 
will indisputably exist much longer tiian the town iuteud- 
ed to perpetuate it. There is another county of Washing- 
ton in Virginia, belonging to the Protector of America; 
but its great distance from this new city prevents all pos- 
sible iucouvenience arising from the identity of name. 
This capital of a rising county has a Meeting-house, and 
seven or eight honses collected; it is in a beautifid situa- 
tion, and the cultivation appears rich aud well managed; a 
rivulet, which runs at the bottom of the valley, renders 
the meadows more fruitful than they generally are in 
mountainous countries. From hence to Litchfield, they 
reckon, seventeen miles; I had ten miles to go to reach 
Moorhouse's tavern, where I intended sleeping, but not 
taking the shortest road, I travelled at least twelve, and 
always among the mountains. That which 1 took brought 
me to a pretty consideralde hamlet, called New Milford- 
Bordering-Skirt, or the confines of Milfoi-d county, and 
from thence into so deep aud wild a valley, tliat 1 thouglit 
myself completely lost, until an opening in the wood made 
me perceive, first a meadow surrounded by fences, then a 
house, and soon after another, and at length a, cliarming 
valley, with several considerable farms, covered with cat- 
tle. I soon crossed this spot, which belongs to the ct)uuty 
of Kent, as well as the rivulet which fiows thi-ough the 
middle of it, and after travelling three miles farther in I he 
mountains, I reached the banks of the Housatouick, oi- tlit^ 
river of Stratford. It is unnecessary to remark that the 
first is the genuine name, that is, the name given it by the 
savages, the ancient inhabitants of the country. This river 
is not navigable, and is easily forded near Bull's iron 
works. We then turn to the left and pass along its banks; 
but if one is sensible to the beauties of Natui'e, if on seeing 
the paintings of Vernet and Robert, one has learnt to 



340 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

aduiii-e its models, it is impossible uot to be lost iu admira- 
tion at the view of the charming landscape, formed by the 
combination of the forges, of the fall of water which seems 
to work them, and of the variegated prospect of trees and 
rocks, with which this picturesque scene is embellished. 
At the distance of a. mile we again pass the same river on 
a wooden bridge; we soon meet with another called Ten- 
mile river, which falls into this, and which we follow for 
two or three miles, and then come in sight of several hand- 
some houses, forming a part of the district called The 
Obldiig. It is a long narrow slip of land, ceded by Con- 
necticut to the state of New York, in exchange for some 
other territory. The inn I was going to is in the 01)long, 
but two miles farther on. It is kept by Colonel Moorhouse; 
for nothing is more common iu America than to see an inn- 
keejjer a Colonel ; they are in general militia Colonels, 
chosen by tiie militia themselves, wlio seldom fail to en- 
trust the command to the most esteemed, and most credit- 
able citizens. 

I pi"essed forward my horses, and hurried on to get the 
start of a traveller on lioiseback, who had joined me on tlie 
road, and who would have had the same right with myself 
(o the lodgings, had we arrived together. I ha<l the satis- 
faction, however, to see him pursue his journey ; but soon 
learnt, with concern, that the little inn where I proposed 
to pass the night, was occu^Med by thirteen farmers, and 
two hundred and fifty oxen coming from New Hampshire. 
The oxen were the least inconvenient part of the com- 
pany, as they were left to graze in a meadow hard by, 
without even a dog to guard them ; but the farmers, their 
liorses, and dogs, were in possession of the inn. They 
wei'e conveying to the army a part of the contingent of 
provisions furnished by New Hampshire. This contingent 
is a sort of tax divided amongst all tlie inhabitants, on 



PEKFOKMED IJY M. L)i: CHAvSTELLUX 341 

some of whom the imposition amoimts to one hundred and 
fifty, on others to one hundred, or eighty pounds of meat, 
according to their al)ilities; so that (Iiey agree amongst 
themselves to furnish a hirger, or smaller sized ox, no 
matter Miiich, as each animal is weiglied. Their convey- 
ance to the army is then entrusted to some farmers, and 
di-overs. The farmers are allowed about a dollar a day. 
and their expences, as well as those of the cattle, are paid 
them on their return, according to th(> receijtts they arc; 
obliged to produce from the inudceepers where they have 
halted. The usual price is from three-pence to five-pence 
English per night for each ox, and in proportion at noon. 
I informed myself of these particulars whilst my ]»('0]ile 
were endeavouring to find me lodgings; liul, all tlie rooms, 
and all (he beds were occu})ied by these farmers, and I 
was in the greatest distress, when a tall, fat man, (lie 
princii)al ]>erson amongst them, being informed who I was, 
came to me, and assured me, that jieithei- he, nor his cum- 
]tauions would ever suffer a French (ieneral Officer to wani 
a bed, and that they would rather slec]) on the floor; add- 
ing, that tli^y Avere accustomed to it, and that it would be 
attended with no inconvenience. In reply 1 told them, 1 
Avas a military man, and as much accustomed as them- 
selves to make the earth my bed. \Ve had long debates on 
this ])oint of polite.sse; theirs was rustic, but more cordial 
and affecting than the best tui-ned comiiliments. The 
result was, that I had a two-beihled room for myself and 
my Aides de Camp. But our ac(iuaintance did not termin- 
ate there; after parting from each other, I to take some 
repose, they to continue drinking their grog and cyder, 
they came into my room. T was then employed in tracing 
my route by the map of the country ; this map excited their 
cui'iosity. They saw there with sui'i)rise and satisfaction 
the places they had passed through. They asked me if 



342 TKAVEL8 IN NOKTH AMEIUCA 

tliey were kuowu in Europe, aud if it was there I liad 
bought my maps. Ou miy assuring tliem that Ave knew 
America as well as the countries adjoining to us, they 
seemed much pleased ; l)ut their joy was without bounds, 
w'hen they saw New Hampshire, their country, ou the ma]). 
They called their companions, who were in the next room ; 
and mine was soon filled with the strongest and most ro- 
l)ust men I had hitherto seen in America. On my appear- 
ing struck with Iheir size and stature, they told me that 
tlie inhabitants of New Hampshire were strong and vigor- 
ous, for which tliere were many reasons ; that the air was 
excellent, the sole occupation was agriculture; aud above 
;ill that tlicir lilood was uuiiii.xeil; this country being in- 
habiled by ancient families wlio had emigrated from Eng- 
land. We parted good friends, touching, or rather sliak- 
ing hands in the English fashion, and they assured me that 
they were very happy to have an opportunity, to shake 
hands with a French General. 

The horse which carried my portmanteau, not travel- 
ling so fast as me, <lid not c(mu(' up till the next morning, 
so that it was ten o'clock on the 20th of December, before 
I could get out. Tlii'ee miles from Jloorhouse's is a very 
high hill ; we then descend, but not quite so much as we 
ascended; the road here is over elevated gi-ound leaving 
large mountains on the left; the country is well cultivated, 
affording the prospect of several pretty farms, Avith some 
mills; and notAvithstanding the :yvar, Hopel township is 
building, inhabited chiefly by Dutch people, as well as the 
greatest part of the state of New York, which formerly 
belonged to the republic of Tlolland, Avho exchanged it for 
Surinam. IMy intention was to sleep five miles on this 
side of Fish-kill, at Tolonel Griffin's taA'ern. I found him 
cutting and preparing Avood for fences; he assured me his 
house was full, Avhich was easy to be believed, for it Avas 



PERFORMED BY M. Db CHASTELLUX 343 

vei'j small. I cdiitiuued mj' jouruej therefore, and reached 
Fish-kill about four o'clock. This town, iu which there are 
not more than fifty houses in the space of two miles, has 
long been the principal depot of the American army. It is 
there they have placed their magazines, their hospitals, 
their worksh(jps, etc., but all these form a town of them- 
selves, composed of h;indsome large barracks, built in the 
wood at the foot of the mountains; for the Americans, like 
the Romans in many respects, have hardly any other win- 
ter quarters, than wooden towns, or barricaded camps, 
which may be compared to the hiemalia of the Romans. 

As for the position of Fish-kill, that it was a post of 
great imporlance is evident from the campaign of 1777. 
It is clear that the plan of the English was to render them- 
selves masters of the whole course of the North River, 
and thus to separate I he Eastern and AVestern States. H 
was necessary there to secui'e a post on the river; Wont 
Point was made choice of as the most important to fortify, 
and Fish-kill as the place the best adopted to the establish- 
ment of the principal depot of provisions, ammunition, etc., 
these two positions are connected together. I shall soon 
speak of West Point, but I shall remark here, that Fish- 
kill has all the qualities necessary for a place of depot, 
foi- it is situated on the high road fr(un Connecticut, and 
near the North River, and is protected at the same time by 
a chain of inaccessible mountains, which occupy a space of 
more than twenty miles between the Croten river and that 
of Fish-kill. 

The approach of winter quarters, and the movement 
of troops occasioned by this circumstance, made lodgings 
very scarce; it was with difficulty I found any, but I got 
at least into a middling inn, kept by an old Mi's. Egre- 
mont. The house was not so clean as they usually ai'e in 
America; but the most disagreeable circumstance was the 



344 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

want of several panes of glass. In fact, of all repairs, that 
of windows is the most diflScult, in a country where, from 
the scattered situation and distance of the hoxises from 
each other, it is sometimes necessary to send twenty miles 
for a glazier. We made use of everything that came to 
hand to patch up the windows in the best way one could, 
and we made an excellent fire. Soon after, the Doctor of 
the hospital, who had seen me pass, and knew me to be a 
French General-Officer, came with great politeness to see 
if I wanted any thing, and to offer me every service in his 
power. I make use of the English word Doctor, because 
the distinction of Surgeon and Physician is as little known 
in the army of Washington, as in that of Agamemnon. 
We read in Homer, that the Physician Macaon himself 
dressed ihe wounds; but our Physicians, who are no 
(ireeks, will not follow their example. The Americans 
conform to the ancient custom, and it answers very well; 
they are well pleased with their Doctors, whom they hold 
in the highest consideration. Doctor Craig, whom I knew 
at Newport, is the intimate friend of General Washington ; 
and the Marquis de la Fafayette had very lately an Aide 
de Camp, Colonel Mac-Henry, who the year before per- 
formed the functions of Doctor in the same army. 

The 21st, at nine in the morning, the Quarter-Master 
of Fish-kill, who had come the night before with the ut- 
miost politeness to offer me his services, and to place two 
sentinels at the door, an honour I refused in spight of 
everything he could say, called upon me; and after drink- 
ing tea according to custom, he conducted me to see the 
barracks, the magazines, and workhouses of the different 
workmen employed by the service of the army. These bar- 
racks are wooden houses, well built, and well covered, 
having garrets, and even cellars, so that we should form 
a false idea, were we to judge of them by what we see in 



PEKFOKMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 345 

our armies, when our troops are ban-aques. The Ameri- 
cans sometimes malce tliem lilce ours, but this is merely to 
cover the soldiers \\hen they are more within reach of the 
enemy. They call these huts, and they are very expert in 
constructing one and the other. They retpiire only three 
days to build the foi-mer; reckoning- from the moment they 
begin to cut down the trees; the others are finished in four 
and twenty hours. They consist of little walls made of 
stones heaped up, the intervals of which are filled with 
earth kneaded with water, or simply with mud ; a few 
l)lanks form the roof; but what renders them very warm is, 
that the chimney occupies the outer side, and that you can 
only enter by a small dooi% at the side of th(> chimney. 
The army has ]tassed whole winters und<'r such huts, witli- 
out suffering, and wilhout sickness. As for tlie lianacks, 
or rather the little military town of Fish-kill, such amph' 
proA-ision is made for everything which (he service and 
discipline of the army may retpiire, (iiat a prevoie aud a 
prison are built (here, suri-ounded by itallisades. One 
gate only alfords access to the inclosure of the ]irev()te; 
and before it is placed a guard-house. Througli (he win- 
dow-bars of the prison, I distinguished some prisoners, 
with the English uniform ; they were about thirty soldiers, 
or regimental Tories. These wretches had accompanied 
the savages in the excursion they had made liy Lake On- 
tario and the Mohawk river. They had burnt ui)wards of 
two hundred houses, killed the horses aud cows, and des- 
troyed above one hundred thousand bushels of corn. The 
gallows should have been the reward of these exploits, but 
the enemy having also made some prisoners, re])risals were 
dreaded, and these robbers were only confined in i-igoi-ous 
and close imprisonment. 

After passing some time in visiting these different set- 
tlements, I got on horseback, and under the conduct of a 



346 TRAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

guai-d which the Quarter-Master gave nie, I eutered the 
wood and followed the road to West Point, where I wisheil 
to arrive for dinner. Four or five miles from Fish-kill, I 
saw some felled trees, and an opening in the woods, which 
on coming nearer I discovered to be a camp, or rather huts 
inhabited bv some hundred invalid soldiers. These in- 
valids were all in very good health; but it is necessary to 
observe, that in the American armies, every soldier is called 
an invalid, who is unfit for service; now these had been 
sent here because their clothes were truly invalids. These 
honest f(>llows, for I will not say creatures, (they know 
too well how to suffer, and are suffering in too noble a 
cause) were not covei-ed. even with rags; but their steady 
countemiuces, and their arms in good order, seemed (o 
supply the defect of clothes, and to display nothing but 
their courage and their i)atienc('. Near this camp I met 
with Major Liman, Aid de camj) to General Fleath, Milli 
whom I was particularly intimate at Newport, and Mr. 
de Ville Franche, a French officer, serving as an Engineer 
at AVest Point. General Heath had been informed of my 
arrival by an express, sent without my knowledge, by the 
Quarter-Master of Fish-kill, and he had dispatched these 
two officers to meet me. I continued my journey in the 
woods, in a road hemmed in on both sides by very steep 
hills, which seemed admirably adapted for the dwelling 
of bears, and where in fact they often make their appear- 
ance in winter. We availed ourselves at length of a less 
difficult part of these mountains to turn to the Westward 
and approach the river, but which is still invisible. Des- 
cending them slowly, at the turning of the road, my eyes 
were struck with the most magnificent picture I had ever 
beheld. It was a view of the North river, running in a 
deep channel formed by the mountains, through which in 
former ages it had forced its passage. The fort of West 



FEK'FUILMEI) KY M. Dn CliASTELLUX ;M7 

INiiut, and tlic foniiidablo liattci-ies wliicli dofcud it, (ix 
the attentiou ou the Western bank, hut on liftiuj^ your eyes 
you behold ou every shle lofty suumiits, thick set witli re- 
(hjubt.s aud batteries. I leaped otr my h(»rse aud viewed 
them a lou.n' time with uiy spyiuj;- glass, the nuly method 
of ae<iuiriug' a knowledge of the whole of the fortifieatious 
with whieh this important post is surrounded. Two lofty 
lieights, on each oi whieh a, large retbuibt is conslructed. 
prot(M-t the ]']aslern baidv. Tliese two works liave no other 
name than the Northern, and tlie Southern ]\edonbls; but 
from the fort of West Point i)roi)erly so ealled, whieh is on 
the edge of the river, to the very to]) of the inoiiiitain at 
the foot of whieh it stands, are six dirfei-eid forts, all in 
tiie form of an ampiiitlicatre, aud proteetiug eacli olher. 
They eompelled me to leave tliis |tlace, wliere 1 shcudd 
willingly have spent tlie whole day, but I had not travdh'fl 
a mile before I saw the reas(ni of (heir hurrying me. 1 
pereeived a eorps of infantry of alxuit two lliousand five 
hundred nu'U, i-anged in line of luillle on llie bank of the 
river. They had just passed it to proceed by Kingsbridge, 
and eover a grand foraging jiarty which it was projiosed 
to send towards the White-Plains, and to the gates of New 
York. General Stark, who beat the English at Penning- 
ton, had the command of these ti'ooi)s, and (ieneral llealli 
was at their head; he wa.s desirous of letting me s<'e I hem 
before they inarehed. T passed l)efore tlie ranks, being 
saluted with the espontoon by all the officers, and tlie 
drums beating a march, an honour paid in jVnierica to 
Major-Generals, who are the first in rank, though it only 
corresponds with our Marechall de Cami). The troops were 
ill clothed, but made a good appeai^ance; as for the otTicers 
they were everytliing that could l»e wished, as well for 
their countenances, as for their maiiiHM- of marching, and 
giving the command. After passing the front of the line. 



348 TKAVELS IN NOETH AMERICA 

they broke it, filed off before me, autl continued their route. 
General Heath conducted me to the river, where his barge 
was waitiuji' to carry me to the other side. A new scene 
now opeueil to my view, not less sublime than the former 
We descended with our faces towards Ihe uortli ; on that 
side is an island covered with rocks, which seem to close 
the channel of the river, but you soon jierceive, through a 
sort of embrasure formed by its bed in separating immense 
mountains, that it comes obliquely from the westward, and 
that it has made a sudden turn round West Point to open 
itself a passage, and to endeavour to gain the sea, without 
making hereafter the smallest bend. The eye carrying it- 
self towards the North Bay and Constitution Island, (the 
isle I have been speaking of) again ix'rceivcs the river, 
distinguishes New Windsor on its left bank, and is tiien 
attracted by different amphitheatres formed l>y the Apal- 
achian Mountains, (he nearest sumiiiifs of which, that 
terminate Ihe scene, are distant upwards of thirty miles. 
AVe embarked in tlic barge, and passed (he river, wliich is 
about a mile wide. As we approached the opposite shore, 
the fort of AVest Point, which, seen from the eastern bank, 
seemed humbly situated at the foot of the mountains, ele- 
vated itself to our view, and appeared like the summit of a 
steep rock; this rock however wa.s only the bank of the 
river. Had I not remarked that the chinks on it, in several 
places, were embrasures for cannon, and formidable bat- 
teries, I should soon have been apprise<l of it by thirteen 
24-pounders, which Avere fired successively. This was a 
military salute, with which General Heath was pleased to 
honour me in the name of the Thirteen States. Never was 
honour more commanding, nor more majestic; every gun 
was, after a long interval, echoed back from the opposite 
bank, with a noise nearly equal to that of the discharge 
itself. When we recollect that two years ago West Point 



PEKFOR.AIED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 349 

was a desert, almost iiiarcessihle, tliat this desert has been 
covered with fortresses and artillery, hy a people, who 
six years before had scarcely ever seen camion; when we 
reflect that the fate of the T'nited States depended in gvaxt 
measure on this important post; and that a horse dealer, 
transformed into a General, oi- rather become a hero, al- 
ways intrepid, always victorious, hut always purchasiui;- 
victory at the price of his blood; that this exlraordiuary 
man, at once the honour, and the o])])i'o!»riiiin of his coun- 
try, actually sold, and expected to deliver this ralladiiim 
of American liberty to the English; when so iiiany <'\lra- 
ordinary circumstances are brought logelher in the |)iiysi- 
cal and moral order of things, it may easily be iuuigiue*! 
that I had sufficient exercise for relleclion. and (Iiat 1 did 
not tire on the road. 

On landing, or ralher (Ui clindiing the i-ocks on (he 
banks of the river, we were received by Colonel Lamb, and 
Alajor Bowman, both officers of artillery; by Major I'^ish, a 
handsome young man, witty and well formed; and Major 
Franks, formerly Aid de ('amp to Arnold. The latter had 
been tried and honourably ac(pntt('d by a coinicil of war, 
demanded by himself after the esca])e and (reason of his 
(ieneral. lie speaks good French, as well as Colonel i.,andi, 
which they both learnt in Canada, where (hey wei-e settled. 
The latter received a mus(|uet shot in his jaw a( (he a((ack 
of Quebec, fighting by the side of Arnold, and having neai'- 
ly penetrated into the upi)er town. Pressed by dinner 
time, we went immediately (o (ieiieial lleadi's l>arrack. 
The fort, which wa.s begun on much too extensive a plan, 
has been since curtailed by Mr. du Portail, so that this 
barrack is no longei- within its jtrecincts. Around it are 
some magazines, ami farther to (he norlh wes(, barracks 
for three or four battalions; (hey are bulK of wood and 
similar to those of Fi.sh-kill. Whilst diniwr was ju-epar- 



350 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

ing, Geueral Heath took me into a little closet, wliieli 
sei'ved him as a bedcliamber, aud shewed me the iustnic- 
tions he had given General Stark for the grand foraging 
party he commanded. This expedition required a move- 
ment of troops in a space of more than fifty miles; and I 
can affii'm, that they were as well conceived as any instruc- 
tions of that kind I have ever seen, either in print, or 
manuscript. He shewed me also a letter in which General 
AVasliington only ordered him to send this detachment, and 
pointed out its object, \\ithout communicating to him, 
however, another operation connected with it, which was 
to take place on the right bank of the North River. From 
various intelligence, by indirect ways, General Heath was 
persuaded, that in cixae tlie enemy ctdlected his force to 
interrupt the forage, Mr. de la Fayette would attack Staten 
Island, and he was not deceived ; but Mr. Washington 
contented himself with announcing generally some move- 
ments on his side, adding, that he waited for a more safe 
method of communicating the nature of them to Geueral 
Heath. Secrecy is strictly observed in the American army; 
very few persons are in the confidence of the Commander, 
and in general there is less said of the operations of war, 
of what we call news, than in the French army. 

General Heath is so well known in our little army, that 
I should dispense with entering into particulars respecting 
him, if this Journal, in which I endeavour to recollect what 
little I have seen in this country, were not destined at the 
same time to satisfy the curiosity of others who have not 
crossed the sea , and to whose amusement I am desirous of 
contributing. This General was one of the first who took 
up arms, at the blockade of Boston, and having at first 
joined the army in tlie quality of Colonel, he was immedi- 
ately raised to the rank of Major-General. He was at that 
time a substantial farmer or rich gentleman ; for we must 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 351 

uot lose sight of the distinction, that in America, farmer 
means cnltivator, in opposition to merchant, which every 
man is called who is employed in commerce. Here, a-s in 
England, by gentlemen, is nuderstood a person possessing 
a considerable freehold, of laud of his own. General 
Heath, then, wa.s a farmer or gentleman, and reared, on 
his estate, a great number of cattle, which he sold for 
ships provisions. But his natural taste led him to the 
study of war; to which he has principally applied himself 
since the period in which his duty has concurred with his 
inclination; he has read our best authors on tactics, and 
especially the Tactics of Mr. Guibert, which he holds in 
particular estimation. His fortune enabling him to con- 
tinue in the service, notwithstanding the want of pay, 
which has compelled the less rich to quit it, he has served 
the whole war; but accident has prevented him from being 
present on the most important occasions. His countenance 
is noble and open; and his bald head, as well as his corpu- 
lence, give him a striking resemldance (o the late Lord 
Granby. He writes well and with ea.se; has great sensi- 
bility of mind, and a frank and amiable character; in 
short, if he has not been in the way of <lisplaying his talents 
in action, it may be at least asserted, tiiat he is well adapted 
to the business of the cabinet. Mis estate is near Boston, 
and he commanded there when Burgoyne's army were 
brought prisoners thither. It Avas he who put the English 
General Philips in arrest, for want of respect to the Con- 
gress; his conduct on this occasion was firm and noble. 
On our arrival at Rhode Island, he was sent there; and 
soon after, when Clinton was prejjaring <o attack us, he 
assembled and commanded the militia, who came to our 
assistance. During his stay at Newport, he lived honour- 
ably, and in great friendship with all the French officers. 
In the month of September, General Washington, on dis- 



352 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

covering the treason of Arnold, sent for him, and gave liim 
the command of West Point; a mark of confidence the 
more honourable, as none but the most honest of men was 
proper to succeed, in this command, the basest of all trait- 
ors. 

After giving this advantageous but just idea of General 
Heath, I cannot but congratulate myself on the friendship, 
and thorough good understanding which sulisisted between 
us during his stay at Newport, where my knowledge of the 
English language rendered nie the medium in all affairs 
we had to transact with him. It A\as with real satisfac- 
tion he received me at West Point; he gave me a plain but 
very good dinner. It is true there was not a droj) of wine ; 
but I find that with excellent cyder and toddy, one may 
very well dispense with it. As soon as we rose from table, 
we hurried to avail ourselves of the remaining daylight 
to examine the fortifications. The first fort we met with 
above West Point, on the declivity of the mountain, is 
called Fort Putnam, from the General of that name. It is 
placed on a rock yevy steep ou every side; the ramparts 
were at first constructed with trunks of trees; they are 
rebuilt with stone, and are not quite finished. There is a 
powder magazine boinb-pi-oof, a large cistern, and fouter- 
raius for the garrison. Above this fort, and when we reach 
the loftiest summit, there are three strong redoubts lined 
with cannon, at three different eminences, each of which 
would require a formal siege. The day being nearly spent, 
I contented myself with judging by the eye, of the very 
intelligent manner in which they are calculated for mutual 
protection. Port Wallis, whither General Heath conduct- 
ed me, wa.s nearer and more accessible. Though it be 
placed lower than Fort Putnam, it still commands the river 
to the south. It is a large pentagonal redoubt, built of 
huge trunks of trees; it is picketed, and lined with artil- 



PEKFOK.ArED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 353 

levy. Uuder tlie fire of this redoubt, and lower down, is a 
battery of eauuoii, to rauge more ol)li(iuely tlie course of 
tlie river. This l»atterj is not closed at the gorge, so that 
the enemy may take, but cau never keep it; which leads 
me to renuirk that this is the best method in all field forti- 
fications. Batteries placed in works, have two inconveni- 
ences; the first is, that if these works be ever so little ele- 
vated, they do not graze suflicieutly ; and the second, that 
the enemy may at once attack the redoultt and the battery; 
whereas the latter being exterior and protected by the re- 
doubt, must be first attacked; in which case it is supported 
by troops who have nothing to fear for themselves, and 
whose fire is commonly better dii-ected, and does more exe- 
cution. A battery yet lower, and nearer to the river, cimi- 
pletes the security of the southern ]>art. 

In returning to 'West Point, we saw a redoiilit that is 
sufl'ered to go to ruin, as being useless, which in fact it is. 
It was night when we got home, but what I had to observe 
did not require daylight. It is a vast souterraiu, formed 
within the fort of West Point, where not only the powder 
and ammunition ne<-essary for this post are kept in re- 
serve, but the deposit of the whole army. These nuigaziues 
completely filled, the lunuerous artillery one sees in these 
diflerent fortress(>s, the prodigious la1)our necessary to 
transport, and pile up steep rocks, huge trunks of trees, 
and enormous hewn stones, impress the mind with an idea 
of the Americans very different from that which the Eng- 
lish ministry have laboured to give to Parlianumt. A 
Frenclnnan would be surprised that a nation, just rising 
into notice, should have expended in two years upwards 
of twelve millions (half a million sterling) in this desert. 
He would be still more so on learning that these fortifica- 
tions cost nothing to the state, being built by the soldiers, 
who received not the smallest gratification, and who did 



354 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

not even receive their stated pay; but he would doubtless 
feel some satisfaction, in hearing that these beautiful and 
well contrived works were planned and executed by two 
French Engineers, Mr. du Portail, and Mr. du Gouvion, 
who received no more pay than their workmen. 

But in this wild and warlike abode, where one seems 
transported to the bottom of Thrace and (he dominions 
of the god Mars, Ave found, on our return in the evening, 
some pretty women, and an excellent dish of tea. Mrs 
Boman, wife of the Major of that name, and a young sis- 
ter who had accompanied her to AVest Point, were waiting 
for us. They lodged in a little barrack neatly arranged. 
The room they received us in, was hung with handsome 
paper, furnished with mahogany tables, and even orna- 
mented with several prints. After staying a little time, 
it was necessary to return to General Heath's quarters, 
and to dispose matters for passing the night, which was not 
an easy affair; for the comi)any wei-e nmch increased in 
the course of the evening, by the arrival of the A'ieomte de 
Noailles, the Comte de Damas, and the Chevalier Duples- 
sis. Mauduit had reached West Point, which post ihej 
had intended to examine minutely; but the motions of the 
American army determined them to set out witii iiu', in 
order to join Mr. de la Fayette, the next evening, or early 
the following morning. Thougli General Fleatli had a 
great deal of company to provide for, his Marechal de 
Logis had not much to do ; there were only three rooms in 
the barracks ; the General's chambers, that of his Aide de 
Camp, who x'esigned it to me; and the dining-room in whicli 
some blankets were spread before a large fire, where tlie 
other gentlemen passed as comfortable a, night as could 
be expected. The morning gun soon summoned them from 
their betls ; the blankets were removed, and the dining- 
room, resuming its rights, was quickly furnished with a 



PERB^ORJIED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 355 

large table coveretl witli beefsteaks, wliicli we ate with a 
very good appetite, swilling ilowu troiii I line to lime a eup 
of tea. Eiiropeaiis would not rtiid this food and driulc, 
talcen together, to their taste; but I can assure you tluit it 
made a very comfortable breakfast. Tliere uow fell a very 
heavy raiu, which had begun in tlie niglit, and still con- 
tinued, with a dreadful wind, whicli rendered the passnge 
of the ferry ver\- dangerous for our horses, and [jreveuted 
us from making use of the sail, in the barge General Heath 
had given us, to carry us to King's Ferry. In spight of all 
these obstacles \\e einl)arked under the tiring of thirteen 
guns, notwithstanding our representations to the contrary. 
Another circumstance, however, gave additional value to 
these honours, for the pieces they discliarged iiad belonged 
to Burgoyne's army. Thus did the artillery sent from 
Woolwich to Canada in 1777, now serve to defend America, 
and do homage to her allies, until it was to be employed in 
the siege of New York. 

Uenei"il Heath, who was detained by business at West 
Point, sent ^fajor Linian to accompany me to Verplank's- 
Point, where we did not arrive till between twelve and one, 
after a continued journey amidst the immense hills which 
cover this country, and leave no other interval than the bed 
of the river. The highest of them is called Anthony's Nose; 
it jirojects into the river, and compels it to make a little 
change in its course. Before we arrive at this point, we 
see the ruins of Fort Clinton; this fort, which was named 
after the Governor (»f the states of New York, was at- 
tacked and taken in 1777 by the English Genei-al Clinton, 
as he was remounting the river to Alliany to give his hand 
to Burgoyne. It was then the principal foi't on the river, 
and built on a rock, at the foot of a mountain, thought to be 
inaccessible, and was farthei- defended by a little creek 
which falls into the main river. Sir Henry C'linton scaled 



356 TRAVELS IN NORTU AMERICA 

the lop of the luouutaiu, liimself cuirying the British 
colours, which he always held aloft, until his troops des- 
cended the steep rock, passed the creek, and carried the 
post. The garrison, consisting of 700 men, were almost all 
taken. Since the defeat of Burgoyne, ajid the alliance with 
France has changed the face of affairs in America, General 
Washington has not thought proper to repair Fort Clin- 
ton ; he ])referred placing his communication and concen- 
trating his forces at West Point, because the Hudson there 
makes a circuit which prevents vessels from remounting 
with the wind abaft, or with the tide; and Constitution 
Isle, which is pi'ecisely at the turn of the i-iver, iu a. direc- 
tion north and south, is ix'rfeclly well situated to pro- 
tect the chain which closes the passage for ships of war. 

The English, however, had preserved a very imi)ortaut 
post at King's Ferry, where they were sufficiently well 
fortified ; so that by the aid of their ships, they were mas- 
ters of the course of the river for the space of more than 
fifty miles, and were thus able to I'epel to the n(U-thward the 
very important communication between the Jerseys and 
Connecticut. Such was the state of things, when, in the 
month of June, 1779, General Wayne, who commanded 
in the Clove a corps of 1500 men, formed a pi'oject of 
surprising Stoney I'oint. This fort was in an entranch- 
ment, surrounded with an abattis, which crowned a steep 
rock, aiul f(U'med a \\ell-picketed redoubt. General W^ayne 
marched, in the night, in three columns, the principal of 
which was led on by IMonsieur de Fleury, who, Avithout 
firing a musquet, forced the abattis, and entrenchments, 
and entered the redoubt with the fugitives. The attack 
was so brisk on the part of the Americans, aud such the 
terror of the English, that Mr. de Fleury, who was the 
first that entered, found himself in an instant loaded with 
eleven swords which were dellvei-ed to him by those who 



PERFOKMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 357 

asked for quarter. It must be added to the honour of our 
allies, that from that moment not a drop of blood was 
spilt. The Americaus, ouce nuisters of one of the baidcs of 
the river, lost no time in gettini;- possession of the otlier. 
Mr. de Gouvion constructed a redoubt at Verplank's Point 
(nearly opposite), where we landed, and where, by a lucky 
accident, we found our horses, ari-ived as soon as us. This 
redoubt is of a peculiar form, hardly ever used but in 
America; the ditch is within the para])('t, which is made 
steep on both sides, and picketed at the height of tlic cor- 
don; lodgings for the soldiers are formed below. Tlie 
middle of the work is a. space constructed with wood, and 
in the form of a square tower. There are battlements every- 
where, and it commands the rampart. An abattis fcu'mcd 
of the to])s of trees interwoven, surrounds the whole, aiiil 
is a substitute for a covered way. We may easily iin-ceive 
that such a work cannot be insulted, nor taken wiUn'ut 
cannon. Now as this is backed by tlie mountains, of whi<h 
the Americans are always masters, it is almost impossilile 
that the English sliould besiege it. A creek whidi falls 
into Hudson's river, and runs to the southward of lliis 
redoubt, renders its ])osition still uu)re advaniagcous. 
Colonel Livingston, wlio commands at Kijig's I'eny. has 
established himself there in preference to StoiuM' I'oiut, 
to be nearer the White Plains, where the English fi((|ueiit- 
ly make excursions. He is a very amiable and wclliii- 
formed young man. Previous to tiic war he maiiied in 
Canada, where he lias acquired the i'rench language; in 
1775, he was one of the first who took arms; he fought 
under the orders of Montgomery, and look Foi-t Chambly, 
whilst the former was besieging Bt. Jolin's. He received 
us in his little citadel with great polifeuess; but io leave 
it with Ihe honouis of war, tlie American laws requii-ed 
that we shouM bi-eakfast; it was tlie second we had taken 



358 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

that day, aud cousistetl of beef-steaks, and tea. accom- 
panied with a few bowls of grog; for the commander's cel- 
lar wa.s no better stored than the soldiers wardrobe. The 
latter had been sent into this garrison as being the worst 
clothed of the whole American arm}', so that one may form 
some idea of their dress. 

About two o'clock we crossed the river, and stopped 
to examine tlie fortifications of St(mey Point. The Ameri- 
cans finding them too extensive, had reduced them to a 
redoubt, nearly similar to that of Verplauks, but not ipiite 
so good. There I took leave of Mr. Livingston, who gave 
me a guide to conduct me to the army, and I set off, pre- 
ceded by Messieurs de Noailles, de Damas, and de Mauduit, 
who wished to join Mr. de la Payette that night, thoiigli 
tlicy liad tliii-ty miles to go, through very bad roads. Tliis 
iuipatieuce was well suited to their age; liut the intelli- 
gence I C(dlected proving to me that the army could not 
move before the next day, I determined to stop on the road, 
content to profit by the little daylight that reumiued to 
travel ten or twelve miles. On leaving the river, I fre- 
quently turned round to enjoy the uiagnificent spectacle 
it ]>resents in this place, where its bed becouies so large, 
that in viewing it to the southward, it has the appearance 
of an iuiinense lake, whilst the northern as])ect is that of a 
majestic river. I was desired to oliscrve a fort or promon- 
tory, froui whence Oolonel Tvivingston had formed the pro- 
ject of taking the Vulture sloop of war, which bnuight 
Andre, and was waiting for Arnold. This vessel having 
come too near the shore, grounded at low water; the 
Cohmel ac<iuainted Arnold witli it, aud asked liiiu for two 
pieces of lieavy cannon, assui-iug liiui that lie would place 
theui so as to sink her. Aniold eluded (bo jiroposal on 
frivolous ]>reiences, so that the Tolouel could only briug 
one four-pounder, which was at Verplauk's to bear on her. 



PEKFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 359 

Tliis piece raked the \('S8el fore aud aft, and did her so 
much damage, that if she had not got off with the Hood, 
she must have struck. The next (h\y, Colonel Livin«stou 
being on the shore, saw Arnold ])ass in his barge, as he 
was going down the river to get on board the frigate. He 
declares that he had such a suspicion of him, that had his 
guard boats been near, lie would have gone after him in- 
stantly, and asked him wliere he was going. This ques- 
tion probably would have embarrassed the traitor, and 
Colonel Livingston's suspicions being thence confirmed, 
he would have arrested him.* 

yiy thoughts were occupied with Arnold and his trea- 
son, when my road brought me to Smith's famous house 
where he had his inteiview with Andre, and formed his 
horrid ]>lot. It was in this house they passed the night 
together, and where Andre changed his clothes. It was 
there that the liberty of America was bargained for and 
sold; and it was there that chance, which is always the 
arbiter of great events, disconcerted this hori-ible i)ro- 
ject, and that satisfie<l with sacrificing the imprudent 
Andre, she prevente<I crime, only by the escape of the 
criminal. Andre was passing the river quietly, to gain 
White Plains, had not the cannon fired at the frigate, made 
him a]»]trehend the failing in with the American troops. 
He inuigined, that favoured by his disguise, he should 
be safer on the right bank ; a few miles from th(>nce he was 
stopped, and a few miles farther he found the gibbet. 



♦Thero is every reason to believe th.it Arnold's treaelicry tnoI< its ilate from his eon- 
neetion with Lieutenant Hale. Itilled afterwards on board the Ponnidalilo in the West 
Indies, and who was undouliledly a very active and industrious spy at I'hiladelpliia in 
the winter of 177S. whither he was sent for that purpose In a protended flag of truee, 
which heinK wrecl<ed in tlic Pelaware, he was made a prisoner liy Oonuress. a sul)jeet 
of much disrussion hetweon them and llie commander at New York. That tlie intended 
plot was known in Encland. and creat liopcs huilt upon if. long hefore it was to take 
place, is certain. Oeneral Matthews and olher tifficers wlio returned in the autumn of 
1780. heing often heard to declare, "that it was all over with the rebels: that they were 
about to receive an irreparable blow, the news (pf which would .soon arrive. &e. &e." 
Their silence from the moment in which they received an account of the failure of the 
plot, and the discovery of the traitor, evidently pointed out the objeel of their allusions, 
— Translator. 



360 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Smith, who was more than suspected, Init not con- 
victed of being a party in the plot, is still in prison, where 
the law protects him against justice. But his house seems 
to have experienced the only chastisement of which it was 
susceptible; it is punished by solitude; and in fact so 
deserted, that there is not a single person to take care of 
it, although it is the mansion of a large farm. I pursued 
my route, but without being aide to give so much nttention 
as to recollect it; I only remember that it was as gloomy 
as my reflections; it brought me into a deep vale, covered 
with cypresses; a torrent rolled over the rocks, which I 
passed, and soon after night came on. I had still some 
miles to an inn, where I got tolerably well nccommodated. 
It is situated in Haverstraw, and is kept by another Smith, 
but who in no way resembles the former ; he assured me 
he Ava« a good whig, and as he gave me a good supper, T 
readily believed him. 

The 23d I set out at eight o'clock, with the intention 
of arriving in good time at the Marquis de la. Fayette's 
camp ; for I had learnt that the army was not to move that 
day, and I was desirous of being presented by him to Gen- 
eral Washington. The shortest road was by Paramus; but 
my guide insisted on my turning to the northward, assur- 
ing me that the other road was not safe, that it was in- 
fested by tories, and that he always avoided it, when he 
had letters to carry. I took the road to the right there- 
fore, and followed for some time the revulet of Romopog; 
I then turned to the left, and soon got into the township 
of Pompton, and into the Totohaw road ; but being in- 
formed that it led me straight to the main body of the 
army, without passing l)y the van commanded by ^1. de la 
Fayette, I inquired for some cross road (o bis quarter, 
and one was pointed out to me, by which, passing near a 
sort of lake T\'hich forms a very agreeable point of view. 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 301 

and then crossing some very beautiful woods, I arrived at 
a stream which falls into Second Kiver, exactly at the 
spot where M. de la Fayette was encamped. His posts 
lined the rivulet ; they were well disposed, and in good or- 
der . At length I arrived at the camp; but the JIarqnis 
was not there; apprized of my coming by the Vicomte de 
Noailles, he had gone to wait for me at seven miles dis- 
tance, at head(|uarters, where he thought I should direct 
my course. He had sent, however Major Gimat, and one 
of his Aides de Camp, to meet me, but they had taken the 
two roads to Paramus; so that by his precautions, and 
those of my guide, I ^\-as, as they say in English, complete- 
ly disappointed, for it was two o'clock, and T had already 
travelled thirty miles without sto])ping. I was in the 
utmost im])atience to embrace M. de la Fayette, and to see 
General Washington, but T could not make my horses par- 
take of it. Tt was proposed to me to proceed directly to 
headquarters, because, said they, I might perhaps arrive 
in time for dinner. But seeing the impossibility of th.at, 
and being in a coinitry where I was knoAvn, T desired some 
oats for my horses. Whilst they were making this slight 
repast, T went to see the camp of the ^larquis, it is thus 
they call Mr. de la Fayette; the English language being 
fond of abridgements, and titles uncouimon in Ameri<'a 
T found tin's camp placed iu an excelb'uf posilion; it occu- 
pied two heights separated by a small Itottom, but with an 
easy communication between them. The river Tololiaw 
or Second River, protects its I'iglit. and it is here tlial it 
makes a considerable elbow, and turning towards (lie 
soutli. falls at lengtli into the bay of Newark. The prin- 
cipal part of tlie front, and all tlie left fbmk. to a great 
distance. ai*e covered by (lie rivulel which comes from 
Paramus, and falls inlo the same river. This posilion is 
oulv twentv miles from New York island ; and was accord- 



362 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

ingly occuijied by tlie van guard, consisting of light in- 
fantiy, that is to say, by the picked corps of the American 
army; the regiments, in fact, Avliich compose it have no 
grenadiei's, but only a company of light artillery, answer- 
ing to our Cliaffeurs, and of whom battalions are formed 
at the beginning of tlie campaign. This troop made a 
good ap])eai'ance, were better clothed than the rest of the 
army; the uniforms both of the officers and soldiers were 
smart and udlitary, and each soldier wore a helmet made 
of hard leather, with a crest of horse-hair. The officers 
are armed with e.spoutoons, or rather with half pikes, and 
the subalterns Avith fusils; but both Avere provided with 
short and light sabres, brought from France, and made a 
present of to them by M. de la Fayette. The tents, agree- 
ably to the Amerciau custom, formed oidy two ranks; 
they were in regular lines, as well a.s those of the officers ; 
and as the season was advanced, they had good chimneys, 
but placed differently fronv ours; for they are all built 
on the outside, and conceal the entrance of the tents, which 
produce the double effect of keeping off the wind, and of 
preserving heat night and day. I saw no piles of arms, 
and was informed that the Americans made no use of them. 
When the weather is good, each company places its fusils 
on a wooden horse, but Avlien it rains, they must be re- 
moved into the tents, aaIucIi is undoubtedly a great incon- 
venience; this will be remedied when the means of doing 
it are more abundant, but I fear much, that this will not 
happen the next year. 

As T was walking in the front of the camp, T was joined 
by an officer, who spoke very good French : which was not 
astonishing, as he turned out to be as much a Frenchman 
as myself; this was ^lajoi' Oalvan. This officer came to 
America, on rommercial affairs, on which subject he has 
even had a sort of trial Avith the Congress; but he was 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 303 

patronized ))y iiiauy persons, and i)artieularly by the Cliev- 
alier de la Luzerne, onr Ambassador; desiring- to enter into 
tlie .service, lie obtained the rank of ^lajor, and the eom- 
iiiand of a battalion of light infantry. He is a man of 
abilities, and they are very well .satisfied with liim in the 
American army. lie led me to his tent, whei'e 1 found a 
table neatly spread; lie proposed to uie to dine, but I <!id 
not accei)t it, imagining I should lose nothing by waiting 
for that which (Jeueral AVashingtou would give u\i\ After 
all we have heard in Europe of the distressed state of the 
Amei-ican army, it will appear extraordinary, ]ierliaps, 
that such a thing as dinner wa.s to be found at tlie tent of a 
Major. Doubtless it is im])ossil)le to live witlioul money, 
when everything one eats is to be paid for; a ])rivilege llu> 
Americans possess no more than otlu'rs. Hut it uiust be 
understood, that they receive radons of ])rovisions, rum, 
and flour; that they have in each regiment a Baker to bake 
their bread, and soldiers to serve them; so that an officer 
\^■lu) takes the field with a tent, and a sufficiency of cloth- 
ing, may do very well till winter without spending any- 
thing. The misfortune is, that ])rovisions sonu^imes fail, 
or do not arrive in time; in which case they i-eally suffer; 
but these are critical moments, which do not often occur, 
and may be prevented in future, if the States perform tlieir 
engagements, and the (iuarter-^Iastei--( Jeueral, and Com- 
missicmei's do their duty. I left .Mr. (ialviu sitting down 
to dinner, and went to prepare my horses, that I Tuiglit 
get to head<piarters before the day was si)ent. Colonel 
JTac Henry, whom I have before mentioned, took upon 
himself to conduct me. We keitt along (lie river, which 
wa.s on otir left. After riding two miles we came in sight 
of (he left of (he army. T( was encampefl on (wo heights, 
and in one line, in an e.\( ended but xcvy good jiosKion, 
having a wood in the rear, and in the front (he river, which 



364 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

is very difficult of passage everywhere except at Totohaw 
Bridge. But the situation would be quite in favour of an 
army defending the left hank, and the lieights on tliat side 
everywiiere commanding those of the right. Two miles 
beyond the bridge is a meeting-house of an hexagonal 
form, which is given to their places of worship by tlie 
Dutch Presbyterians, who are very numerous in the Jer- 
seys, i'.^'^''-^^ 
I was pursuing my journey, conversing with Mr. Mac 
Henry, Avhen I was apprized by a considerable noise, that 
I could not be far from the great cataract, called Totohaw- 
Fall. I was divided between my impatience to view this 
curiosity, and that of approaching General Washington ; 
but Mr. Mac Henry informing me that it Avould not take 
me two hundred paces out of my way to see the cataract, 
I determined to avail myself of the remainder of a fine day, 
and I had not in fact gone a stone's throw before I had 
the astonishing spectacle before me of a large river, which 
precipitates itself from a height of seventy feet, and so in- 
gulphed in a hollow of a rock, which seems to swallow it 
nv, but from whence it escapes by turning short to the 
liglit. It seems to me impossible to give an idea of this 
waterfall, but by a drawing. Let the finishing to the 
imagination ; she is the rival of Nature, and sometimes also 
ber rival and interpreter. Let the reader figure to him- 
self, then, a river running between mountains covered with 
firs, the dark green of which is in contact with the colour 
of its Avaters, and renders its course more majestic; let 
him represent to himself an immense rock, which would 
tntally close up the passage, had it not, by an earthquake, 
or some other subfei'raucous reA'olutiou, been rent in sev- 
einl ]iicces. fi'oiii its snuimil (o its base, by this means form- 
ing long crevices perfectly vertical. One of these crevices, 
tlie deplb of Avliich is unknown, mav be twentv-five or 



PERFORjMED by M. Db CHASTELLUX 3G5 

thirty feet wide. It is in this cavern tliat tiie river liaving 
cleared a part t)f tlie rock, precipitates itself with violence; 
but as this rock crosses its whole bed, it can only escape 
by that extremity of the two, which offers it an outlet. 
There a fresh obstacle presents itself; another rock f>p- 
poses its flight, and it is obliged to form a right angle, and 
turn short to the left. But it is extraordinary, that after 
this dreadful fall, it neither froths, nor boils up, nor forms 
whirlpools, but goes off quietly by its channel, and gains, 
in silence, a profound valley, where it pursues its course 
to the sea. This perfect calm, after a movement so rapid, 
can only proceed from the enormous depth of the cavern, 
into which it is plunged. I did not examine the i-ock with 
aqua fortis; but as there seem to be no calcareous stones in 
this country, I take it to be hard rock, and of the nature 
of quartz ; but it ijresents a peculiai'ity worthy of atten- 
tion, which is, that its whole surface is hollowed into 
little squares. Was it in a state of fusi(Ui when raised 
from the bowels of the earth, and it bhicked up the passage 
of the river? These vertical crevices, these flaws on the 
surface, are they the effects of its cooling? These are 
questions I leave to the discussion of the learned; I shall 
only observe, that there is no volcanic appearance; nor 
through the whole country are thei-e the smallest traces 
of a volcano, of such at least as are posterior to the last 
epochas of Nature. 

Though Doctor Mac ITenry began by being a Doctor, 
before he was an officer, and is well informed, T did not 
find him much served in natural history, and I prefei-red 
questioning him on the subject of the army along tlie front 
of which I rode, meeting perpetually with posts, who took 
arms, the drum beating, and the officers saluting with the 
espontoon. All these posts were not for the safety of the 
army; many of them were stationed to guard houses and 



360 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

barus, wliioh served as magazines. At length, after riding 
two miles along the right flank of the army, and after 
passing thick woods on the right, I found myself in a small 
plain, Avhere I saAV a handsome farm ; a small camp which 
seemed to cover it, a large tent extended in the court, and 
several waggons round it, convinced me that this was his 
Excellenc3''s quarter; for it is thus ]\Ir. Washington is 
called in the army, and throughout America. M. de la 
Fayette was in conversation with a tall man, five feet 
nine inches high, (about five feet ten inches and a half 
English) of a noble and mild countenance. It was the 
General himself. I was soon off horseback, and near him. 
The compliments were short; the sentiments with ^vhich 
I was animated, and the good wishes he testified for me 
were not equivocal. He conducted me to his house, where 
I found the company still at table, although the dinner 
had been long over. He presented me to the Cienei-als 
Knox, Wayne, Howe, etc., and to his family, then composed 
of Colonels Hamilton and Tilgmau, his Secretaries and 
his Aides de Camp, and of Major (libbs, commander of his 
guards; for in England and America, the Aides de Camp, 
Adjutants and other officers attached to the General, form 
what is called his family. A fresh dinner was ])repared 
for me, and mine; and the present was prolonged to keep 
me company. A few glasses of claret and JMadeira accel- 
erated the acquaintances I had to make, and I soon felt 
myself at my ease near the greatest and the best of men. 
The goodness and benevolence which characterize him, are 
evident from everything about him ; l»ut the confidence 
he gives birth to, never occasions improper familiarity; 
for the sentiment he inspires has the same origin in every 
individual, a profound esteem for his virtues, and a high 
opinion of his talents. About nine o'clock the general 
officers withdi-ew to their quarters, where were all at a 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 3G7 

considerable distauoe; but as th(> Ceueral wished me to 
stay in his own huiisc, I remained some time witli liim, after 
wliich he condiuted me to the fhand)er prepared for my 
Aides de Camp and me. This ehamber oeeupied the ftjurth 
part of his lodgings ; he apologized to me for the little 
room he had to his disposal, but always with a noble 
politeness, which was neither complimentary nor trouble- 
some. 

At nine the next morning tliey informed me that his Ex- 
cellency was comedown into (he i)arlour. This room serv- 
ed at once as au<lience chiunber, and dining-i-oom. I im- 
mediately went to wait on him, and found breakfast pre- 
pared. Lord Stirling had come to breakfast with us. He 
is one of tlie oldest Major-Generals in the army; his birth, 
his titles and pretty extensive property have given him 
more importance in America, than his talents could ever 
have acquired him. The title of Lord, which was refused 
him in England, is not hei-e contcstiMl with him ; he claimed 
this title from inheritance, aud weni to Eurojie to support 
his pretensions, but without success. A part of his estate 
has been dissipated by the war, and by his taste for ex- 
pence; he is accused of liking the table and the bottle, 
full as much as becimies a Lord, but more than becomes a 
deneral. He is brave, but witliout capacity, and lias not 
been fortunate in the dilferent commands with which he 
has been entrusted. He was made pri.soner at the affair 
of Long Island. In .lime, 1777, lie got into a scrape at 
Elizabeth Town, wliilsl General Washington nnide head 
against 20,000 Engiisii on the heiglits of Middlebrook; he 
there lost two or three Jiumlrcd men, aud three pieces of 
cannon; at Brandywine he commanded the right of tlie 
army, or rather the body of trooi)s defeated by Cornwaliis; 
but on all these occasions he displayed great personal 
courage and firmness. T conversed a long time with him, 



3G8 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

and found him to be a sensible man, not ill informed of the 
affairs of his country. He is old and rather dull ; but with 
all this he will continue to serve, because the employment, 
though not lucrative, helps to repair a iittle the disorder 
in his affairs; and not having quitted the service since 
the beginning of the war, he has, at least, zeal and seniority 
in his favour ; thus he will retain the command of the first 
line, to which his rank entitles him ; but care will be taken 
not to employ him on particular expeditions. 

Whilst we wei'e at breakfast, horses were brought, and 
General Washington gave orders for the ai'my to get under 
arms at the head of the camp. The weather was \evj bad, 
and it hud already begun raining; we waited half and 
hour; but the General seeing that it was more likely to 
increase than to diminish, determined to get on horseback. 
Two horses were l)rought him, which were a present from 
the State of Virginia; he mounted one himself, and gave 
me the other. Mr. Lynch and Mr. de Montesquieu, had 
each of them, also a very handsome blood horse, such as 
we could not find at Newport for any money. We repaired 
to the artillery camp, where General Knox received us; 
the artillery was numerous, and the gunners, in very fine 
order, were formed in parade, in the foreign manner, that 
is, each gunner at his battery, and ready to fire. The Gen- 
eral was so good as to apologize to me for the cannon not 
firing to salute me; he said, that having ])ut all the troops 
on the other side of the river in motion, and apprized them 
that he might himself march along the right bank, he was 
afraid of giving the alarm, and of deceiving the detach- 
ments that were out. We gained, at length, the right of 
the army, where we saw the Pennsylvania line; it wa.s 
composed of two brigades, each forming three battalions, 
without reckoning the light infantry, which were detached 
with the Marquis de la Fayette. General Wayne, who com- 



I'EKFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 3Gt) 

iiiainled it, was ou liorseljaok, as well as tlie Brigadiei-s and 
Colouels. Tkev wei-e all well uiouuted; the ofiicers also 
bad a very military air; they were well ranged and saluted 
very gracefully. Each brigade bad a band of music, the 
march they were then playing was the Huron. I knew that 
this line, though in want of many things, \\as the best 
clothed in the army; so that bis Excellency asking me 
whether I would proceed, and see the whole army, or go 
by the shortest roail to the camp of the Marquis, I ac- 
cepted the latter proposal. The troops ought to thank 
me for it, for the rain was falling with redoubled force; 
they were dismissed, therefore, and we arrived heai'tily 
wet at the Marcpiis de la Fayette's quarters, where I 
warmed myself with great pleasure, partaking, from time 
to time, of a large bowl of grog, which is stationary on his 
table, and is presented to every officer who enters. The 
rain appearing to cease, or inclined to cease for a moment, 
we availed ourselves of the opportunity to follow his Ex- 
cellency to the camp of the Marquis; we found all bis 
troops in order of battle on the heights to the left, and 
iiimself at their bead expressing, by his air and counte- 
nance, that he was happier iu receiving me there, than at 
his estate in Auvergne. The confidence and attachment 
of the troops, are for him invaluable possessions, well 
acquired riches, of which no body can deprive him; but 
what, in my opinion, is still more flattering for a young 
man of bis age, is the influence, the consideration Iu; has 
ac(piire<T amongst the political, as well as the military or- 
der; I do not fear contradiction when I say, I bat private 
letters from him have frequently ])i'oduced more effect on 
some states than th(! strongest exhortations of the Con- 
gi-ess. On seeing him, one is at a loss which most to ad- 
mire, that so young a man as be should have given such 
eminent i)roofs of talents, or that a man so tried, should 



370 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

give hopes of so long a career of glory. Fortunate liis 
country, if she knows how to avail herself of them ; more 
fortunate still should she stand in no need of calling them 
into exertion ! 

I distinguished, with pleasui'e, among the colonels, who 
were extremely well mounted, and who saluted with great 
grace, M. de Gimat, a French officer, over whom I claim 
the right of a sort of military paternity, having brought 
him up in my regiment from his earliest youth. This 
whole van-guard consisted of six battalions, forming two 
brigades; but there was only one piquet of dragoons or 
light cavalry, tiie remainder having marched to the south- 
ward with Colouel Lee. These dragoons are perfectly well 
mounted, and do not fear meeting the English dragoons, 
over whom they have gained several advantages ; but they 
have never been numerous enough to form a solid and 
permanent body. The piquet that was kept Avith the army, 
served then as an escort to the Provost Marshal, and per- 
formed the functions of the ^Marechaussee, until the estab- 
lishment of a regular one, which was intended. 

The rain spared us no more at the camp of the Marquis, 
than at that of the main army; so that our review being 
finished, I saw with pleasure (ieneral Washington set off 
in a gallop to i-egain his (juarters. We reached them as 
soon as the badness of the roads would permit us. At our 
return we found a good dinner ready, and about twenty 
guests, among Avhom were <ieuerals Howe and Sinclair. 
The repast was in the English fashion, consisting of eight 
or ten large dishes of butcher's meat, and poultry, with 
vegetables of several sorts, followed by a second course of 
pastry, comprised under the two denominations of pies 
and puddings. After this the doth was taken off, and 
apples and a great quantity of nuts were serve<l, whicli 
General ^Vaslnngton usually continues eating for t\v(j 



PERFORJIED BY M. l)n CITASTELLUX 371 

liom-s, toasting and (■(iiivei'siiii;' all tlic tiiiic. Those nuts 
are small and dry, and have so hard a shell, ( hickory nnts I 
that they eau only he hrokeu hy the hanmier; they are 
served half open, and the coniitany are never done picking 
and eating them. The conversation was calm and agree- 
able; his Excellency was jileased to enter with me into 
the particulars of some of the principal operations of the 
war, but always with a modesty and conciseness, which 
jtroved that it was from pure complaisance he mentioned 
it. About half past seven we rose from the table, and im- 
mediately the servants came to siiorten it, and convert 
it intfi a round one; for at dinner it was placed diagonally 
to give more room. I was surprised at this mauaeuvre, and 
asked the reason of it ; I was told they were going to lay 
the cloth for supper. In half an hour I retired to my 
chamber, fearing lest the (ieneral might have business, 
and that he remained in company tmly on my account; but 
at the end of another half hour, I was informed that his 
Excellency expected me at supper. I returned to the 
dining-room, protesting against this supper; but the (ien- 
eral told me he was accustomed to take something in the 
evening; that if I would be seated, I should only eat some 
fruit, and a-ssist in the conveisation. 1 desired nothing 
better, for there were then no strangers, and nobody re- 
mained but the (leueraFs family. The suitper was com- 
posed of three or four light dishes, some fruit, and above 
all, a great abundance of nuts, which were as well re- 
ceived in the evening as at dinner. The cloth being soon 
removed, a few bottles of good claret and Madeira were 
placed on the table. Every sensible man will be of my 
opinion, that being a French officer, under the orders of 
General Washington, and what is juore a good whig, 1 
could not refuse a glass of wine olT'ered me by him, but, I 
confess, that I had little merit in this complaisance, and 



372 TRAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

(hat, less aocustonied to drink than anybody, I accomi- 
dated myself very well tu the English mode of toasting; 
you have very small glasses, you pour out yourself the 
quantity of wine you ehoose, without being pressed to take 
more, and the toast is only a sort of check in the conversa- 
tion, to remind each individual that he forms part of the 
company, I observed that there was more solemnity in 
the toasts at dinner; there were several ceremonious ones; 
the others were suggested by the Cleneral, and given out 
hy his Aides de Camp, who performed the honours of the 
table at dinner; for one of them is every day seated at the 
bottom of the table, near the (leneral, to serve the com- 
pany, and distribute the bottles. The toasts in the evening 
were given by Colonel Hamilton, without order or cere- 
mony. After supijer the guests are generally desired to 
give a sentiment; that is to say, a lady to whom they are 
attached by some sentiment, either of love or friendship, 
or perhaps from preference only. This supper, or conver- 
sation, commonly lasted from nine to eleven, always free, 
and always agreeable. 

The weather was so bad on the 25th, that it was impos- 
sible for me to stir, even to wait on the Generals, to whom 
M. de la Fayette was to conduct me. I easily consoled 
myself for this, finding it a great luxury to pass a whole 
day with (Jenei-al AVasbington, as if he were at his liouse 
in the country, and had nothing to do. The Geneials 
(Hover, Huntingdon, and some others, dined with us, and 
the Colonels Stewart and Rutler, two ofHcers distinguished 
in the army. The intelligence received this day occasioned 
the proposed attack on Staten Island to be laid aside. The 
foraging party under Oeneral Starke had met with the 
most complete success; the enemy not having thought 
proper to disturb them, so that they had not stripped the 
posts in the quarter where it was intended to attack them ; 



PERFOlvMED BY M. De CIlAt^TELLUX 373 

liesides, that tliis oxjicditidD could only liave lu'eii a nmp 
dc main, rciiderod very dittii'nlt by the liadiios.s of the roads 
from llie excessive rains. It was deteiiiiiiH>d tlierefore 
that the army sliould march the next day to winter (]nar- 
ters, and that 1 slionhl continue my route to JMu1adel))hia. 

Tlie. weather being fair, on the 2()th, I got on liorse- 
liack, after breakfasting witii (he <}eneral. Me was so 
attentive as to give me the hors(> lie rode on, tlie day of my 
arrival, which 1 had greatly commended; I found him as 
good as he is handsome; but above all, perfectly well broke, 
and well trained, having a good mouth, easy in hand, and 
stop])ing short in a gallop without bearing the bit. I 
mention thes(> minute particulars, because^ it is the (Jeneral 
himself who breaks all his own horses; and he is a v('\-y 
excellent and bold horseman, leaping the highest fences, 
and going extremely quick, without .standing upon his 
stirru])s, bearing on the bridle, or letting his horse run 
wild; cii'cumstances which our young men look U|)on as 
so essential a pai-t of Knglish horsemanship, that they 
would rather break a leg or an arm than to renounce them. 

Jly fiist visit was to (icimi-a! \\'a.\iie. where .Mr. <](' la 
Fa.vette was waiting to conduct me to the other general 
officers of the line. We were receiveil by (ieueral Hunting- 
don, who a)i])ear(><l rather .voung foi- the lank of Hrigadier- 
(ienei-al, which he has lield two years; his carriage is cold 
and reserved, but one is not long in perceiving him to be a 
man of .sense and information; by fJeueral (ilover, about 
five and forty, a little man, but active and a good soldier; 
by General Howe, who is one of the oldest .Majoi's-<TeneraIs, 
and who enjoys the consideration due to his raidv, though, 
from unfavourable circumstances, he has not been for- 
tunate in war, ])articularly in Cieorgia. wheie he command- 
ed with a very small force, at the time (ieueral Prevost 
took posse.ssion of it ; he is fond of music, (he arts, and 



'Mi TKAVEI.S IN NOKTU AMEKICA 

pleasure, and has a cultivated luind. I remairied a con- 
siderable time witli hiui. » » » » ♦ 

(Jeueral Kuox, whom we ha<l iiiet, and who accom- 
panied us, broufjlit us l»ack to headquarters, through a 
wood, as the shortest way, and to fall into a road leading 
to his house, where we wished to pay our compliments to 
Mrs. Knox. We found iier settled in a little farm, where 
she had passed part of the campaign; for she never quits 
her husband. A child of six months, and a little girl of 
three years old, f<u-med a real family for the (leneral. As 
f(n- himself, he is between thirty and f(U"ty, very fat, but 
very active, and of a gay and amiable character. Previous 
to the war he was a booksellei- at Boston, and used to 
amuse himself in reading sonu' military books in his shop. 
Such was the origin and the first knowledge he acquired of 
the art of war, and of the taste he has had ever since for 
the profession of arms. From the very first campaign, he 
was entrusted with the command of the artillery, and it 
has turned out that it could not have been placed in better 
hands. It was he whom M. du Coudray endeavoured to 
supplant, and who had no difficulty in removing him. It 
was fortunate for ^I. du Coudray, perhaps, that he was 
drowned in the Schuylkill, rather than to swallowed up 
in the intrigues he was engaged in, and which might have 
been ])roductive of much mischief. 

On our return to headquarters, we found several Gen- 
eral Officers and Colonels, with whom we dined. I had 
an opportunity of conversing more particularly with Gen- 
eral Wa.vne; he has served more than any officer of the 
American army, and his services have been more distin- 
guished, though he is yet but young. He is sensible, and 
his conversation is agreeable and animated. The affair of 
Stony Point has gained him much honour in the army; 
however, he is only a Brigadier-General. This arises from 



PERFORMED BY M. L)K CHASTELLUX 37r. 

the nomination to the siipeiioi- ranks h<>ini; vested in (he 
States to whom tlie troops helonrr, and that the Htate of 
Pennsylvania has not thonght proper to make any promo- 
tion ai)parently from princii)les of economy. The remain- 
der of tlie day I dedicated (o the enjoyment of General 
Washin<i,ton's company, whom I A\as to qnit the ne.xt day. 
rie was so good as to point ont to me himself my jonrney, 
(o send on before to prepare me lodgings, and to give me 
a ( 'olf)nel to condnct me as far as Trenton. The next morn- 
ing all the ({enerars baggage was ])acked np, whicli did 
not liinder us from breakfasUng, before we parted, he for 
his winter quarters, and I for my Journey to IMiiladelphia. 
Here would be (lie juoper place to give the portrait of 
General Washington ; but what can my testimony add to 
tlie idea ali-eady formed of him? The continent of North 
America, from Boston to Charh's Town, is a great vohiaH', 
every page of which ])reseiits hi.s cubigium. 1 know, tliat 
having had the opportunity of a near inspection, and of 
closely observing him, some nn»re particular detidls may be 
expected from me; but the strongest characteristic of this 
respectable man is the perfect union which reigns between 
the physical and moral qualities which compose the indi- 
vidual, one alone will enable you to judge of all the rest. 
It you are presented with medals of Caesar, or Ti'ajan, or 
Alexander, on examining their features, you will still be 
led to ask what was their stature, and the form of their 
persons ; but if you discover, in a heap of ruins, the head 
or the limb of an antique Apollo, be not curious about the 
other parts, but rest assured that they all were comform- 
able to those of a God. Let not this comparison l)e at- 
tributed to enthusiasm ! It is not my intention to exag- 
gerate, I wish only to express the impression General 
Washington has left on my mind; the idea of a perfect 
whole, that cannot be the produce of enthusiasm, which 



376 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

rather would reject it, since the efifect of proporfioa is to 
diminish the idea of greatness. Brave without temerity, 
laborious without ambition, generoiis without prodigality, 
noble without pride, virtuous without severity; he seems 
always to have confined liimself within those limits, where 
the virtues, by clothing themselves in more lively, but 
more changeable and doubtful colours, may be mistaken 
for faults. This is the seventh year that he has commanded 
the army, and that he has obeyed the Congress; more need 
not be said, especially in America, where they know how 
to appreciate all the merit contained in this simple fact. 
Let it be repeated that Conde was intrepid, Turenne pru- 
dent, Eugene adroit. Catiuat disinterested. It is not thus 
that Washington will be characterized. It will be said of 
him, AT THE END OF A LONG CIVIL WAR, HE HAD 
NOTHING WITH WHICH HE COULD REPROACH 
HIMSELF. If anything can be more marvellous than 
such a character, it is the unanimity of the pultlic suffrages 
in his favour. Soldier, magistrate, people, all love and 
admire him ; all speak of him in terms of tenderness and 
veneration. Does there then exist a virtue capable of re- 
straining the injustice of mankind ; or are glory and hap- 
piness too recently established in America, for Envy to 
have deigned to pass the seas? 

In speaking of this perfect whole of which General 
Washington furnishes tiie idea, I have not excluded exte- 
rior form. His stature is noble and lofty, he is well made, 
and exactly proportioned ; his physiognomy mild and agree- 
able, but such as to render it impossilde to speak particu- 
larly of any of his features, so that in quitting him, you 
have only the recollection of a fine face. He has neither 
a grave nor a familiar air, his brow is sometimes marked 
with thought, but never with inquietude; in inspiring re- 



TEKFOUMED BY M. 1)e CHASTELLUX 377 

spec't, he iuspiros eonfifleuce, and Iiis smile is always tho 
smile of benevolence. 

But, above all, it is in tbe midst of liis (Jeneral Ofiifors, 
that it is interesting to behold him. Uenoral in a rei)nl)lic, 
he has not the imposin;;- stateliness of a Marechal de 
France who gives the order; a Iiero in a republic, be ex- 
cites another sort of respect, which seems to s]irin<;- from 
the sole idea, that the safely of each individual is attached 
to bis per.son. As for (lie rest, \ must observe on this 
occasion, that the General Ofticei-s (\f the American army 
have a very military and a very becftminij carria<ie; that 
even all the officers, whose characters were broujjht into 
public view, unite much jioliteness to a sireat deal of ca- 
]iacity; that the headquarters of this ai-niy, in short, 
neither ]>resent the imatje of want, nor inexperience. AVhen 
one sees the battalion of the (icneral's S'HJfl'ds encamped 
nitbin (he precincts of his bouse; uino wa^'ions, d(>stined 
to carry his bai^iia.i'e, ranged in his court; a sreat nundier 
of grooms taking care of very tine horses bebrngiup fo the 
Oeneral Officers and their Aides de f'amp; wlen one oh 
serves the perfect oi-der that reigns within thcs"" iii-c<incts, 
where the guards are exactly stationed, and where the 
drums heat an alarm, and a retreat, one is temp^^ed to 
apply to the Americans what Pyrrhus said of (he Ttomans: 
Truly these peo]de have nothing barbarous in (heir dis- 
cipline! , 

[M. rhastellux then proceeded under t^o escort of 
Colonel Moyland, given him by His Excel^ncy. General 
Washington as a companion and guide. (Vlonel Moyland 
was an Irish Gatholic, "an Aide de Gam/ to the General 
and has merited tbe command of the Ui/it cavalry." Un- 
der his direction an excellent dinner wj;^ prepared at Mor- 
ristown (N. Y.) to the great astonish/iont of (he writer.] 



378 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Aftor dinner T luvd a visit from General St. (Jlair, 
whom I had already seen at the army, which he had left 
the preceeding evening to sleep at Morris-Town. It was 
he who commanded on Lake Champlain, at the evacuation 
of Ticonderoga ; a terrible clamonr was raise<l against him 
on that. occasion, and he was tried by a council of war. but 
honourably acquitted, no:, only because his retreat was 
attendetl Avith the best consequences — Burgoyne having 
been forced to cai>itulatf — but because it was proved that 
he had been left in want of everything necessary for the 
defence of the post '■nl rusted to him. He was born in 
Scotland, where he 'las still a family and projiei-ty; be is 
esteemed a good (dtiit'er, and, if the war continues, will 
certainly act a princ/pal part in the army. 

[Starting fro/n .Abiriistown on the 2Sth, they proceeded 
through New .R'l-sey but on the solicitation of his escort, 
he sent his ret^ue forward on the direct road to Somerset 
Courthouse wMle he and Colonel Moyland turned aside to 
the home of t^e latter's father-in-law. Colonel Van Horn — 
a Avonlthy 'Merchant and cultivator passing the winter 
at New Yoiv and the summer in the country," previous to 
the war. lut since the war he had retired to his manor, 
always faithful to his country without rendering himself 
odious to tile English. After being entertained at dinner 
they set out, now ahso accompanied by Captain Heme, a 
young caxalry officer, who was commended very highly for 
his horseufinship. They soon reach the Princetown road 
and come tc the "banks of the Rariton." They found the 
suite at Sonerset Courthouse awaiting them. They im- 
mediately started forward spending the night at Greeg- 
town where the; slept at "Skllman's tavern, an indifferent 
inn, but kept b> very obliging people.''] 

Our next day's ride presented us with very interesting 
objects; we were t. see two places which will be forever 



PEKFOKMED T.Y M. De CHASTELLUX 379 

dear to thv AiuoiifiUis, siucc it \v;is iIkmc the tirst rays 
of li(ipe brigliteiu'd upon tliein, to express it more projieriv, 
that the safety of the country was etfeeteil. These tele- 
lira led places are Priuce-Towii and Trenton. 1 shall not 
say 1 went to see thein, for they lay precisely in Hie road. 
Let the rea<ler jnd.ne Ihen how much I was out of humour, 
on seeini;- so thick a fog rising, as to ]u-evenl uie from dis- 
tingnishinf; objects at fifty i)a<-es from me; 1ml I was in a 
country where one must despair o\" nothing. The forlnne 
of the day was like that of America; the fog suddenly dis- 
jiersed and I f(»\ind myself travellinx iiii (he rigid hank 
of the IMillstone, in a narrow valley. 

Two miles fi-om <Jregg-Town we ((ui( this valle\', and 
mount the highest of Ilockey-Hill, where are a few houses. 
King's-Town is a mile farther, hut slill ou (he .Afillstone; 
the ^Iaidenliea<l road ends here, and its coumunication is 
facilitated by a bridge built over the rivn»'t. It is here 
that (leneral Washington halted after I he al'Jair of Prince- 
Towu. After maiching from un<liught untT two o'clock 
in the afternoon, almost continually tightin.!:, he wished 
to collect the troops, and give them some res-t ; lie knew, 
however, that Lord Coruwallis was following him on the 
^laidenhead road; but he contented himself with taking 
lip some planks of the bi'idge, and as soon a-< be saw the 
vanguard of the English appear, he continued lu's march 
quietly towards .Middlelu-ook. Beyond King's-Town, the 
country begin.s .to open, and continues so to yrince-Town. 
This town is situated on a sort of idatform /lot much ele- 
vated, but which coninuinds on all sides; V- has only one 
street formed by the righ road; there ar/about sixty or 
eighty houses, all tolerably well built, bvt little attention 
is paid them, for that is iunuediately iu'lracted by an im- 
mense building, which is visible at a considerable distanc(v 
It is a college built by the state of Jer.^y some years before 



380 TKAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

the war; as this huildiuj; is imly remarkable from its size, 
it is unnecessary to describe it; the reader will only recol- 
lect, when I come to speak of the engagement, that it is 
on the left of the road going to Philadelphia, that it is 
situated towards the middle of the town, on a distinct spot 
of ground, and that the entrance to it is by a large square 
court surrounded with lofty palisades. The object which 
excite<l my curiosity, though very foreign from letters at 
that moment, brought n;e to the very gate of the college. 
I dismounted for a uu'fnent to visit this vast edifice, and 
Avas soon joined by D^". Witherspoon, President of the uni- 
versity. He is a man «>f at least sixty, is a member of Con- 
gress, and nincb rcsppctcd in this counlry. In accosting 
me he spoke French. l)ut I easily perceived that he had ac- 
quii-ed his knowledge of that language, from reading, rath- 
er than conversj^tion ; which did not prevent me, however, 
from answerinjy him, and continuing to converse Avith him 
in French, for I saw that be was well ])I('ased to display 
what he knewi)f it. This is an attention which costs little, 
and is too niich neglected in a f(M'eign country. To reply 
io iJUglish to a pei-son who sjieaks French to you, is to 
tell him you do not known my language so well as I <lo 
yours; in thi|^, too, one is not unfrequently mistaken. As 
for me, T ah^ays like better to have the advantage on my 
side, and to | fight on my own grouiul. I conversed in 
French, tlverefoi'e, with the President, and from him I 
learnt that this college is a complete university; that it 
can contain two hundred students, and more, including 
the out-board*rs ; that the distribution of the studies is 
formed so as to make only one class for the humanities; 
which correspoivls with our first four classes; that two 
others are destine;! to the perfecting the youth in the study 
of Latin and Greek; a fourth to natural Philosophy, Math- 
ematics, Astronomy etc., and a fifth to moral Philosophy. 



PERFORMED BY M. De CIIASTELLUX 381 

Parents may suppoi't their children at tliis college at the 
annual expence of forty guineas. Half of this .sum is a]»- 
propriated to lodgings and masters; the rest is sutHcient 
for living, either in Ihc college, or at board in private 
houses in the town. This useful establishment has fallen 
into decay since the war; there were only forty students 
when I .saw it. A hand.sdnu- collection of books had been 
made; the greatest part of which has been embezzled. The 
English even carried otT from the chajiel the portrait of 
the King of England, a loss for which the Americans easily 
consoled themselves, declaring they would have no King 
amongst them, not even a painted one. There still re- 
mains a very beautiful asli-onomical machiue; Iml as it 
was than out of order, and dilfers in no respect fi-om that 
I saw afterwards in Philadelphia, 1 shall take no notice 
of it. I confess also that I was rather anxious to examine 
the traces of General Washington, in a country where every 
object reminded me of his success. I passed rapidly there- 
fore from Parua.ssus to the field of .Alars. and fiom the 
hands of President \\'ithei'spoon into those of Colonel 
.\loyland. They were both e<iually ui)on their own ground ; 
so that while one was pulling me by the right arm, telling 
me. Here is the philosophy class; the other was ])lucking 
me by the left, to shew nu^ where one linndred and eighty 
English laid down their arms. 

Every jierson who, since the coMiiiiencemeiit of the war, 
has only given himself the trouble of reading the (lazelles, 
may recollect that (Jeneral \\'ashington surpi-ised the town 
of Trenton the 25th of December, 177(i; that, immediately 
after this expedition, he retired to the other side of the 
Delaware, but that having received a snudl addition to 
his force, he repassed the river a second time, and en- 
camiK'd at Trenton. T.ord Cornwall is hail now collected 
his troops, before dispersed, in winter qnarters. He 



382 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

marched against Washington, who was ohliged to place 
the Assanipik, or river of Trenton, between tlie enemy and 
him. By this means tlie town was divided between the two 
armies; the Americans occupying the left bank of tlie 
creek, and the English the right. Lord Cornwallis's army 
was receiving hourly reinforcements; two brigades from 
Brunswick were expected to join liim, and he only waited 
their arrival to make the attack. General Washington, on 
the other hand, was destitute of provisions, and cut off 
from all communications with the fertile country of the 
Jerseys, and the four eastern states. Such was his posi- 
tion, when, on the second of January, at one o'clock in the 
morning, he ordered the fires to be well kept up, and some 
soldiei'.s to be left to take care of them, whilst the remain- 
der of the army should nuxrch by the right, to fall back 
afterwards on the left, pass the rear of the English army, 
and enter tlie Jerseys. It was necessary to tlirow them- 
selves considei-ably to the right, in order to reach Aliens- 
Town, and the sources of the Assampik, and then to fall 
on Prince-Town. About a mile from this town, General 
W^ashington's vanguard, on entering the main road, fell 
in with Colonel Mawliood, wiio was marching (juietly at the 
head of his regiment on his way to ilaidenhead, and thence 
to Trenton. General Mercer immediately attacked him, 
but was I'epulsed by the enemy's fire; he then attempted 
to charge with bayonet, but unfortunately, in leaping a 
ditch, was surrounded and put t« the sword by the English. 
The troops, who Avere in general militia, discouraged by 
tlie loss of their commander, retreated into the woods, to 
wait for the remainder of the army, which arrived soon af 
ter; but Colonel Mawhood had continued his route tc 
INIaidenhead, so that General Washington had only to do 
with the forty-eighth regiment, part of whicli had appeared 
upon the main road on the fii'st alarm of the attack, lie 



PEKFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 383 

pushed these ti-oops vij;,oi()usl.y, dispersed them, iiud made 
llfty or sixty piisouers. (ieiienil .Sullivan, however, was 
advauciug' rapidly, leaving on his left the Prince-Towu 
road, with the design of turning that town, and of cutting 
off the retreat of the troops, who oceupied it, to Bruns- 
wick. Two hundred English had tlirown themselves into 
a wood by which he was to pass, but they did not long hold 
it, and returned in disorder to Nassau-hall, the name of 
the college 1 have been speaking of. This they ought to 
have taken j)ossessiou of, and have there made a vigorous 
defence. To all appearance their officers were bewildei-ed, 
for instead of entering the house, or even the court, they 
remained in a sort of wide street, where they were sur- 
rounded and obliged to lay down their arms, to the num- 
ber of one hundred and eighty, not inchuling fourteen of- 
ficers. As for General Washington, after talcing or dis- 
persing everything before him, he collected his troops, 
marched on to King's-Town, where he halted, as I have 
already mentioned, and continued his route towards .Mid- 
dlebrook; having thus marched near thirty miles in one 
day, but still regi'ettiug that his troops were too much 
fatigued to proceed to Brunswick, which he could have 
taken without any difficulty. Lord Cornwallis had now 
nothing left but to hasten thither as fast as imssible with 
his whole army. From this moment, I'cnnsylvania was in 
safety, the Jerseys were evacuated, and the iOuglish re- 
duced to the towns of Brunswick and Andjoy, where they 
were obliged to act always on the defensive, not being able 
to stir, not ever to forage, without being driven back, and 
roughly haiulled by the militia of the country. Thus we 
see the great events of war are not always great battles, 
and hunmnitv may receive some consolation from this stde 
reflection, that the art of war is not necessarily a sanguin- 
ary art, that the talents of the comnuinders spare the lives 



384 TRAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

of the soldiers, and that ignoranee alone is prodigal of 
blood. 

The affair of Trenton, when this originated, cost no 
dearer, and was perhaps more glorious, without being more 
useful. Addison said, in visiting the different monuments 
of Italy, that he imagined himself treading on classic 
ground; all my steps were on martial ground, and I was 
in the same morning to see two fields of battle. I arrived 
early at Trenton, having remarked nothing interesting (»n 
the road, unless it be the beauty of the; country, whi<'l) 
every where corresponds with the reputation of the Jer- 
seys, called the garden of America. On approaching Tren- 
ton, the road descends a little, and permits one to see at 
the east end of the town the orchard where tlie Hessians 
hastily collected, and surrendered prisoners. This is al- 
most all that can be said by the Gazettes on one side and 
the other. We know that General Washington, at the 
head only of three thousand men, passed the Delaware in 
dreadful weather, on the night of the 24th and 25th of 
December; that lie divided his troops into two columns, 
one of wliich made a circuit to gain a road upon the left, 
leading to the Maidenhead-road, whilst the other marclied 
along the river, straight to Trenton ; that the main guard 
of the Hessians was surprised, and that the brigade has 
scarcely time to get under arms. The park of artillery 
was near a church; they were attempting to harnevss the 
liorse, when the American vanguai-d, which had forced the 
piquet, fired on, and killed almost all of them. General 
Washington arrives with the right column ; the Hessians 
were surrounded, and fired a few random shot, Avithout 
order. General Wa.shington suffered them to do so, but 
he availed himself of the first moment of tlie slackening 
of their fire, to send an officer Avho spoke French to them, 
f(n' our language supplies the want of all others. The 



PERFORIMED BY M. Dk CnASTELLUX 3S5 

Hessians liearkeued very williugly to his proposal. The 
General promised that the effects they had left in their 
houses should not be pillaged, and they soon laid down 
their arms, which they had scarcely had time to take up. 
their position was certainly not a good one ; nor can I con- 
ceive it possible that this could be a field of battle fixed 
upon in case of an alarm. They would have had a sure 
retreat by passing the bridge over the creek at the south 
end of the town, but the vanguard of the right column had 
got possession of it. Such, in a few words, was this event, 
which is neither honourable nor dishonourable for the 
Hessians; but which proves that uo troops existing cau be 
reckoned on, when they suffer themselves to be surprised. 

[At four o'clock after separating regretfully from 
Colonel Moyland, he took the road to Bristol, crossing the 
river three miles below Trenton. It was uight when he 
reached Bristol where he tarried at the inn of Mr. Benezet. 
Leaving Bristol on the 30th of November, he ai-rived in 
Philadelphia at two in the afternoon. The nearer he ap- 
proached that city, the more he noticed the traces of war. 
"You imagine," says he, "you see the country after a storm, 
some trees are overthrown, but the others are still clothed 
with flowers and verdure." On all sides were evidences 
of the destructive occupation of the British. He dined at 
the house of Chevaliin- de la Luzerne, among whose guestii 
was Mr. Governor Morris, "a young num full of wit and 
vivacity, but unfortunately maiuu>(l, liaviug lost a leg by 
accident." General Miftlin was also in the company.] 

After this dinner, which I may liave possibly spun out 
too long, according to the custom of the country, the 
Chevalier de la Luzerne took me to make visits with him. 

The first was Mr. Kccd, President of the State. This 
post corresponds with that of (}ovei-n(!i- in tlic other i>vo- 

$5 



38(! TRAVELS TN NORTTT A^NfERICA 

vinces, hut witliont the same authority ; for the (ioverument 
of Penusylvaiiia is purely democratic, consisting only of a 
General Assembly, or House of romnions, who name an 
executive Council, composed of twelve members possessing 
very limited powers, of the exercise of which they ai-e 
obliged to give an account to the Assembly, in which they 
have no voice. Mr. Reed has been a (Jeneral Officer in the 
American army, and has given proof of courage, having 
had a horse killed under him in the skirmish near White- 
marsh. It is he, whom Governor Johnstone attempted to 
corrupt in 1778, when England sent Commissioners to 
treat with Congress; hut this attempt was confined to some 
insinuations, entrusted to Mrs. Ferguson. Mr. Reed, who 
is a sensible man, rather of an intriguing character, and 
above all eager of popular favour, made a great clamour, 
and published, and exaggerated the offers that were made 
him. The comi»laints of Mrs. Ferguson, wlio found herself 
committed in this affair, a iiublic declaration of (Jovernor 
Johnstone, whose object was to deny the facts, but which 
sei'ved only to confirm them; various charges, and refuta- 
tions, printed and made public, produced no other effect 
than to second the views of Mr. Reed, and to make him 
attain his end, of jjlaying a leading part in the country. 
Unfortunately his pretensions, or his interest, led him to 
declare himself the enemy of Dr. l<"'ranklin. When I was 
at I'hiladelphia, it was no less than matter of question to 
recall that respectable nuin; but the I^'rench party, or that 
of General Washington, or to ex])ress it still better, the 
reall3' patriotic party prevailed, and the matter finished 
by sending an officer to France to represent the wretched 
state of the army, and to ask for an aid of clothes, tents, 
and money, of which it stood in much need. Tlic clioice 
fell on Colonel Laui"ens. 



PEi^FomiED p.y :\i, dk citastfjjjw ;',st 

Mv. IJt'inl lias a liaiidsoiiic house, anauficil and fiir- 
nislied in tlie Eiit;lis]i sfvlc. I found (Ihtc Mrs. Washiiij;- 
ton, who had just an-ivcd I'l-oni N'irginia, and was <i()in}> to 
stay with hev Imshand, as she does at the end of every cani- 
paij;!). She is aliont forty, or live and forty, ratlier [)lunij», 
but fresh, ami witli an agreealde face. After passing' a 
quarter of an hour at Mr. Ifeeu's, we waited on Mr, Hunt- 
iui^don, I'resident of Congress. We found him in his 
cabinet, ligiited by a single candle. This siinplicify re- 
minded me of that of (he h'alH'icius's an<l the I'liilopeniens. 
Mr. Huntingdon is an upright man, who espouses no paily, 
and may be relied on. lie is a native of Connecticut, and 
was Delegate for that state, when chosen President. 

[The French Amliassador Luzerne saw to it that the 
writer secured agreeable (piarters. Re speaks of making 
calls first upon Mrs. P.ache, daughter of Mr. Franklin, and 
especially dilates ujion the loyal attitude of the women of 
Pliiladeli)hia who had bought material out of their own 
purses and provided shirts, etc., for the soldiers. Chastel- 
lux, much as he wondered at this, tliiidcs the l^rencli wo- 
men would ]U'obably Ite fully as devoted undei' similar cir- 
cumstances.] 

1 Imi-ried to make acfiuaintance with Mr. .M(MM'is. He 
is a very rich nu'rcliant, and conse(|uently a luan of every 
country, for commei-ce bears every where the same charac- 
ter. Under monarchies it is free; It is an egotist in re- 
publics; a stranger, or if you will, a citizen of the universe, 
it excludes alike the virtues and the i)rejudices that stand 
in the way of its interest. It is scarcely to i)e credited, 
that amidst the disaster of Anu'rica, Mr. ^forris, the in- 
habitant of a town just emancipated fi-om the liands of the 
English, should possess a fortune of eight millions (be- 
tween 3 and 400,000 1. stei-liiigl. It is, however, in the 



38S TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

most critical times tiiat great fortuues are acquired. The 
fortimate return of several ships, the still more successful 
cruizes of his privateers, have increased his riches beyond 
his expectations, if not beyond his wishes. He is, in fact, 
so accustomed to the success of his privateers, that wiieu 
he is observed on a Sunday to be more serious than usual, 
the conclusion is, that no prize has arrived in the preceding 
week. This flourishing state of commerce, at Philadelphia, 
as well as in Massachusetts bay, is entirely owing to the 
arrival of the French squadron. 

The English have abandoned all their cruizes, to block 
it up at Newport, and in that they have succeeded ill, for 
they have not taken a, single sloop coming to Rhode Island, 
or Providence. Mr. Morris is a large man, very simple in 
his manners; but his mind is subtle and acute, his head 
perfectly well organized, and he is as well versed in public 
affairs as in his own. He was a member of Congress in 
177G, and oiight to be reckoned among those personages 
who have had the greatest influence in the revolution of 
America. He is the friend of Dr. Franklin, and the de- 
cided enemy of Mr. Reed. His house is handsome, re- 
sembling perfectly the houses in London ; he lives there 
without ostentation, but not without expence, for he spares 
nothing which can contribute to his happiness, and that of 
Mrs. Morris, to whom he is much attached. A zealous 
repul)lican, and an Epicurean philosopher, he has always 
played a distinguished part at table and in business. 

[On the 2nd of December, Chastellux made a detailed 
examination of the scene of the battle of Germantown. 
After reviewing the movements of the American troops, 
and especially the difficulties produced by the effective 
resistance of the British in the Stonehouse, he ventures 
some censure of the general plan of Washington but tem- 
pers it with the qualification that he was not pre.sent at 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 389 

the battle and that if he had been perhaps his feelings 
would have been different. After liis return from a survey 
of this battlefield in which he took keen interest, he with 
the French Ambassador went to dine with the Northern 
Delegates. "The Jlembers of the Congress have a tavern 
to themselves, where they give frequent entertainments ; 
but that the company may not be too numerous at a time, 
they divide themselves into two sets, and as we see very 
geographically; the line of demarkation being from east 
to west." (The translator notes that tendency seems likely 
to lead to a division of the states peaceful but permanent. 
lie states tliat this opinion is gaining ground rapidly in 
Philadelphia.) Two delegates placed at eacli end, did tlie 
honours of the table. j\Ir. Duane, Deputy from the State 
of New York, occupied the side T was on. He also men- 
tions I\Ir. riiarles Tliom])son, Secretary of Congress, who 
mixes little with society luit passed as very well informed.] 

Mr. Samuel Adams, Deputy for Massachusetts Bay. 
was not at this dinner, but on rising from table I went to 
see him. When I entered his room, I found him tete-a-tete 
with a young girl of fifteen who was preparing his tea ; but 
we shall not be scandalized at this, on considering (liat 
he is at least sixty. Everybody in Euro])(' knows that In' 
was one of the prime movers of tlie jiresent revolution. T 
experienced in his company the satisfaction one rarely lias 
in the world, nay even on the theatre, of finding the per- 
son of the actoi- corresponding with the character he per- 
forms. In him, I saw a man wrajjf up in bis object, wlio 
never spoke but to give a good opinion of Iiis cause, and a 
high idea of his country. His simple and frugal exterior, 
seemed intended as a contrast with the cnei'gy and extent 
of his ideas, which were wholly turnol towards tlie rei)ub- 
lic, and lost nothing of their warmth by Iteing expressed 
witli metliod and piecision ; as an army, marching towards 



390 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

the enemy, has uot a less determined air for observing tlie 
laws of tactics. Amongst many facts he cited iu honour 
of his country, I shall relate one which merits to he traus- 
luitted to posterity. Two youuf^- soldiers had deserted 
from the army, and returned to their father's house. Their 
father, incensed at this actiou, loaded them Avith irons, 
and conducted them himself lo their (ieneral, Lord Stir- 
ling. He did what every other officer would have done, iu 
his place — pardoned them. The father, as patriotic, hut 
less austere .than a Roman, was happy to preserve his cliil- 
dien ; nevertheless he seemed astonished, and approaching 
the (ieneral, "My Lord,'' says he, with tears in his eyes, 
""Tis more than I hoped for." — I «]uitted Mr. Adams with 
regret, but Avith a full iuteutiou of seeing him again, ami 
my evening terminated by a visit to Colonel Bland, one of 
the Delegates for Carolina. He is a tall handsome uu»u, 
Avho has been in the West-Indies, where he accpiired 
French. He is said to be a, good soldier, but at present 
serves his country, and serves it well, iu ('ongress. The 
Southern Delegates, in fact, have great credit, they are in- 
cessantly labouring to draw the attention of the (lovern- 
ment towards them, and to avert every idea of i)urchasing 
))eace on their account. 

The Aveather AA'as so bad the third (Deceudjci'l that it 
Avas impossible to stir out. I had no reason to complain 
hoAvever of the employment of this day, which I passed 
either in couA'ersation A\'ith JI. de la Luzerne, and M. de 
.Mai'bois, or in reading such interesting ]iapers as they Avere 
pleased to couimunicate. Mr. Huntingdon having informed 
me, that the next day he Avould shew uie the hall in which 
the Congress assembles, I Aveut there at ten o'clock, and 
fouiul him waiting for me accompanied by several Dele- 
gates. This hall is spacious, Avithoul magnificence; its 
handsomest ornament is the portrait of General Washing- 



PEin'OKMEl) r.V M. l)i; CllASTELLUX ;?!)l 

Ion, larger (liaii life. He is rcjirt'seiited on foot, in that 
iiol)le aud easy attitude wliicli is natural to liiiu ; cauuou, 
colours, aud ail the attributes of war form the accessories 
of the picture. [ was then conducted into the Secretary's 
hall, A\liich has nolhiui; reniarkahle l)ut tlu^ niauuer iu 
whieli it is furnished; the colours taken from the eueniy 
serve by way of tapesti-y. I^'roin thence you ]iass to the 
library, which is |irelly hir!i(>, but far from beini> tilled; 
the few books it is com])os(>d of, aii])ear to be well chosen. 
It is in the town-house that Cou-iress hold their meetinj^s; 
this buildiug is ratlu-r handsome; the staircase iu particu- 
lar is wide and noble; as lo external ornaments, they cou- 
sisl ouiy in the decoi-,i| ion of (he gale, and iu sexcral (ab- 
lets of mailile placed ;d)ov(> (lie win<lo\\s. I remarked a 
peculiarity in tlie roof, which appeared new (o me; llu' 
chimneys are liouiid to the two extremilies of the buihling 
\\hich is a lowg s{piare, and are so constructed, as to be 
fastened together in the foi-u! of an aich, thus foi-ming a 
sort of portico. 

After taking leave of (he I'i'esi(h'nt and Delegates, I 
returiH^d to the Chevalier de la Luzerne's, and as the 
streets were covered with ice, I staid at home, where J re- 
ceived a visit from .Mr. \\'ilsou,* a celebrated lawyer, and 
author of several i»amphle(s on (he present aifairs. He 
has iu his libj'ary all our best authors on ])ublic law and 
jui-is]U-ud(Mice; the works of I'i'esident Moutesipiieu, aud of 
the Chaiu'ellor d'Aipu'Ssau, hold the first rank among 
them, aud he makes them his daily study. After dinner, 
which was private aud a la Francoise, I went to sec Mrs. 
Bingham, a young and handsonu' woman, only seventeen: 
bei- husband, who was there, according to the American 
custom, is only live and (wenty: he was Agent of Congress 



•.Mr Wilsmi is ;i Si-.)l.liii!:.n. an. I is nwiliina a Icrluiu- i-,i|iicll.v in tllu profession rif 
llic law at Pliilndelpliia. II.- is al>oul lonr and forty, a man of real abilities, and Mr. 
Morris's iiiliniate friend and riin.iuror in his aristocratic plans.— Translator.. 



392 TKAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

at Mai'tinica, from whence he is returned with a tolerable 
knoMiedge of French, and with much attachment to the 
Marquis de Bouille. I i)as.sed the remainder of tlie evening 
with Mrs. Powell, wliere I expected to have an agi'eeable 
conversation ; in which I was not deceived, and forgot my- 
self there till pretty late. 

I went again to the Town-House, on the 5th, but it was 
to be present at the Assembly of the State of Pennsylvania; 
for the hall, where this sort of parliament meets, is under 
the same roof witli the Congress. I was with M. de la Fay- 
ette, the A^icouite de Noailles, the Comte de Damas, M. de 
Gimat, and all the French, oi' Gallo-Americaus, at Phila- 
delphia. We seated ourselves on a bench opposite the 
speaker's chair: on his right was the President of the 
State, the Clerks placed at a long table before the Speaker. 
Tlie debates turned on some misconduct, imputed to the 
Commissioners of the Treasury. The executive council 
were sent for and heard. General Mifliin was almost the 
only speaker; he delivered liimself with grace and spii-it, 
but with a nmrked intention of opposing the President of 
the State, who is not one of his friends. His manner of 
expressing himself, his gestures, his deportment, the air 
and ease of superiority he invariably assumed, perfectly 
reminded me of those members of the House of Commons 
who are accustomed to give the tone to others, and to make 
everj'thing bend to their opinion. The affair not being 
terminated in the morning, the Speaker left the chair ; the 
house went into a committee, and adjourned. 

The morning was not far spent, and I had enough to 
employ it; I was expected in three places; by a lover of 
natural history, by an anatomist, and at the college, or 
rather university of Philadelphia. 1 began by the cabinet 
of natural history. This small and scanty collection, is 
greatly celebrated in America, where it is unrivalled; it 



PERFOKMED BY M. De CHAWTELLUX 39;J 

was formed by a painter of Geneva, called Ciraetiere, a 
name better suited to a physician that a painter. Tliis 
worthy man came to Philadelphia twenty years aj;o, to take 
portraits, and has continned there ever since; he lives there 
still as a batchelor, and a foreigner, a very common in- 
stance in America where men do not long remain without 
acquiring- the titles of husband and citizen. What I saw 
most curious in this cabinet, was a large (|uautity of tl'.c 
vice, or screw, a sort of shell pretty common, within whicli 
a very hard stone, like jade, is exactly moulded. It appears 
clear to me, tliat these petrifactions are formed by the suc- 
cessive accumulation of lapidisic molecules conveyed by 
the waters, and assimilated by the assistance of fixed air. 
After fatiguing my legs, and satisfying my eyes, wliich is 
always the case in cabinets of natural history, 1 tliouglit 
proper to quit the earth for heaven; or, in the vulgar style, 
I went to the library of the university, to see a very in- 
genious machine (an Orrery) representing all the celestial 
motions. I lose no time in declaring that I shall not give 
a description of it : for nothing is so tiresome as the descrij)- 
tion of any machine; it is enough for me to say, that one 
part of it gives a perfect view, on the vertical point, of 
all the motions of the planets in (heir own orbits; and that 
the other, which is desigiied only to repicseut (hat of (he 
moon, displays, in the clearest manner, lier ])hases, lier 
nodes, and her different altitudes. The Presi(h'iit of (he 
college, and Mr. Kittenhouse, the inventor and maker of 
this machine, took the pains of explaining to me every 
pardcular; they seemed very happy that T knew English, 
and astronomy enough (o understand (hem; ou wliidi I 
must observe, that tlie latter ar(icles is more to (he sliaine 
of the Americans than to my prai.^^e; (he almanack being 
almost the only book of Aslrononiy siudied a( IMiiladcliiliia. 
,Mr. KiKenliouse is of a (!erniaii faiiiily, as liis name an- 



394 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

uoimce.s; but lie is u uative of I'hiladelpliia, aud a watch- 
maker l)y profession. He is a man of great simplicity aud 
modesty, and tliough not a mathenmtician of the class of 
the Eulers, aud the D'Alemheits, knows enough of that 
science to he perfectly ac(|uaiuted with the motions of the 
heaveuly bodies. As for liis mechanical talents, it is un- 
necessary to assign a reason for them ; we kuow that of all 
others, they are less the result of study, and uuist generally 
the gift of nature; and it is a fact worthy of observation, 
that, notwithstanding the little connection to be per- 
ceived between that particular dis]M)sition and the delicacy 
of oui- senses, or the perfection of our organs, men are more 
frequently Ixn-n jnechanics, than painters and musicians. 
Education, nay, even the ligour of education, frequently 
makcfl great artists in the two latter; but there is no ex- 
ample of its making mechanical genius. 

This morning seemed devoted to the sciences, aud my 
walks were a sort of encyclopedia, for, on quitting the uni- 
versity library, 1 went to call upon a celebrated anatomist, 
called I)i-. Showell. The following, in a few words, is his 
history: h<' was lioi-n in England upwards of seventy years 
ago. After studying medicine and surgery there he went 
to France to imi)rove himself under M. Winslow. In 1734, 
he Avent to the AV'est Indies, where he since practised medi- 
cine, sometimes at Barbadoes, sometimes at Jamaica ; but 
is invariably a maai of a])plicatiou and laborious. In the 
war of 1744, a prize being brought into Barbadoes, with a 
great deal of wax on board, Mr. Showell took this oppor- 
tunity to make different anatomical experiments -in wax, 
and he succee<led so well a,s to carry this art to the higliest 
degree of perfection. On seeing him, one can with difficulty 
conceive how so much ])atience and jierserverance could 
consist with his natural vivacity; for it seems as if the 
sun of (he troi)ic had preserved in iiim all the heat of 



PERFORMED BY il. De CHASTELLUX 395 

youth; he .speaks with fire, ami express(>s liiiuself as well 
in Freuch as if he were still in our schools of surgery, lu 
otlier respects, he is a perfect original: liis reigning taste 
is flisi»utati(in ; when the English were at Philadelphia he 
was a whig, and lias hecoiiie a tory since they left it; he 
is always tigliliug after Euroiie, williout resolving to re- 
turn, and declaiming constantly against tlie Americans, lie 
still remains amongst them. His design in coming ti) the 
continent, was to recover his health, so as to cmable him to 
cross the seas: this was about the commencement of the 
war; and, since that time, lie imagines he is not at lilierly 
to go, though no body jirevents him. lie was to me a 
greater curiosity than his anatomical preparations, wliicli, 
however, appeared superi(u- to those of Bologna, but in- 
ferior to the preparations of .Mademoiselle Bieron; the wax 
having always a certain liisire which maUes tliem b>ss like 
nature. 

At the end (d' Ibis moiiiiiig's walk 1 was like a bee, so 
laden with honey that he can hardly regain his hive. 1 i-e- 
turned to the Chevalier dr la i.u/>erne"s with my memory 
well stored, and after taking food for the body as well as 
mind, 1 dedicated my evening to .society. 1 was invited 
to drink tea at Colonel Bland's, that is to say, (o attend 
a sort of an assembly in-etly mm h like the conversa/./.ioiii 
of Italy; for tea here is the subslitiile Cor the riiisresco. 
Mr. Howley, Coveruor of (icorgia. Mr. Izard, -Mr. .Vrlhiir 
Lee, (the two last lately arrived from Europe | .M. de la 
Fayette, M. de Noailles, M. de Damas,, etc., were of the 
party. The scene was decorate<l liy several married ami 
unmarried ladies, among whom. -Miss Shippen. <lauglifer 
(d" Dr. Shippen, and cousiii of Mrs. Arnold, claimed pai-- 
ticular di.stinction. Thus we see that in America the 
crimes oC individuals are not reflected on their family; not 
only hail Dr. Shippeu's brother given his daughter to tiie 



39() TliAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

traitor Arnold, a short time before his desertion, but it is 
generally believed, that being himself a tory, he had in- 
spired his daughter with the same sentiments, and the 
oharnis of this handsome woman contributed not a little 
to hasten to criminality a mind corrupted by avarice, be- 
fore it felt the power of love. 

On our return to the Chevalier de la Luzerne's we as- 
sembled all the French and Gallo-American military, and 
laid our plan for a very agreeable jaunt we took next day. 
At six in the morning, M. de la Payette, the Vicomte de 
Noailles, the Comte de Damas, the Chevalier du Plessis 
Mauduit, Blessieurs de Oimat and De Neville, Aides de 
Camp of M. de la Fayette, M. de ftlontesquieu, Mv- Lynch, 
and myself, set out to visit the field of battle of Brandy- 
wine, thirty miles from Philadelphia. 51. de la Fayette 
had not seen it, since at tlie age of twenty, separating from 
his wife, his friends, the pleasures of the M'orld, and those 
of youth, at the distance of three thousand miles, he there 
shed the first drop of blood he offered to glory, or rather 
to the noble cause h*^ has invariably supported with the 
same zeal, but witli b'^'^ter fortune. We passed the Schuyl- 
kill at the same ferry where Mr. Dn Coudray was drowned 
in 1777. We tliei-e discovered the traces of some entrench- 
ments thrown up by the English after tliey became masters 
of Philadeli>liia; then turuing to the left, we rode on four- 
teen miles to the little town of Chester. It is built at tlie 
junction of the creek of that name, with the Delaware, and 
is a sort of port where vessels coming up tlie river some- 
times anchor. The houses, to the number of forty or fifty, 
are handsome and built of stone or brick. On leaving 
Cliester, and on tlie road (o Branilywiue, we pass tlie stoue 
bridge where M. de la l<'aye(((', wounded as lie was, stopped 
tlic fugitives, and made the first disposilious for rallying 
ilieiii bcliiud llic creek. The country bevond it has nothing 



PERFORMED BY i\F. Dio nHxKt^TELLUX 'Ml 

particular, but resembles tlie rest of Pennsjlvauia, that is 
to say, is interspersed with woods aud cultivated lands. It 
was too late when we came within reacli of the field of bat- 
tle, and as we could see nothinu; till next morning, and were 
too numerous to remain together, it was necessary to separ- 
ate into two divisions. Messieurs de (Hmat, De Mauduit, 
and my two Aides de Camp, staid with me at an inn, three 
miles on this side of Brandy wine; and ^1. de la Fayette, 
attended by the other trevellers, Avent further on to ask for 
quarters at a Quaker's, called Benjamin Ring, at whose 
house he lodged with General Washington the night before 
the battle. I joined him early the next morning, and found 
him in great friendship with his Iiost, who, (Quaker as he 
was, seemed delighted to entertain tiie :Mar(iuis. We got 
on horseback at nine, provided with a plan, executed under 
the direction of General Howe, and engraved in England ; 
but we got more infoi'mation from an Ajnerican major, 
with whom JI. de la Fayette had appointed a place of 
meeting. This officer was present at tlie engagement, and 
his house being on tlie field of battle, he knew it better 
than anybody. 

We must recollect, that in 1777. the English having in 
vain attempted to cross the Jerseys to get to Philadelphia 
by land, were obliged to eudiark, and doubled the capes to 
reach the bay of Chesapeak, and I he mouth of the river 
Elk. They arrived there the 25th of August, after a pas- 
sage dreadful by sea, but fortunate in the bay. which they 
remounted with much less difficulty than they expected. 
Whilst the sea, the winds, and three hundred vessels were 
assisting the manaeuvres of the enemy's army, Mr. Wash- 
ington remained some days at Middlebrook, in one of the 
most embarrassing positions in which the general of an 
army can be placed. To the north, the troops of Burgoyne, 
after taking Ticonderoga, were advancing towards Albany ; 



3!)S TRAVELS IN NORTH AMEIUCA 

to the south, nn Euylisli .'iimy of fiftocn tliousaiid men wore 
embarked, aud iniglit eitlier i)roceed to Cliesa])eak bay. as 
they did, peuetrate by the Delaware, or go up Hudson's 
River as far as Crest Point, to form a junction with Bur- 
noyue, aud cut off the American army, which froui that 
moment would have been forever separated from the eas- 
tern and northern States. Of all the chances, this was cer- 
tainly the most to be dreaded ; accordingly General Wash- 
ington did not abandon liis position at IMiddlebrook, till 
lie received certain intelligence that the enemy had doubled 
(■ape May. Let us figure to oiirselves the situation in 
Avhich a general must find himself, when obliged to com- 
prehend in his plan a defence, an immense country, and 
a. vast extent of coast, he is at a loss to know, within one 
hundred and fifty miles, where the enemy is likely to ap- 
pear; and having no longer. any intelligence of tliem, either 
by patroles, or detachments, or even by couriers, is re- 
duced to the necessity of observing the compass, and of 
consulting the winds, before he can form any resolution. 
As soon as the movement of the enemy was decided. Gen- 
eral AYashington lost no time in marching his army; I 
should ratlier say his soldiers, for a number of soldiers, 
however considerable, does not always form an army. His 
was composed of at most 12,000 men. 1( was at the head 
of these troops, the greatest part of them now levies, that 
he traversed in silence the city of Philadelphia, whilst the 
Congress were giving him orders to fight, yet removing 
their archives and public papers into the interior parts of 
the country; a sinister presage of the success whicli must 
follow their council. 

The army passed the Schuylkill, and occupied a first 
camp near Wilmington, on the banks of the Delaware. 
Tills position had a double object, for the ships of war, 
after convoying General Howe to the river Elk, had fallen 



PEEFoinrED F.Y :\r. Dk (TTAWTELLUX :W.) 

(Idwii the liay of tlic ( 'licsiiiK'jik', icinuiiiilcil I lie Dclawiirc, 
aud .seconded by some troops lauded rroiu (lie fleet, iip- 
peai-ed iueliiied to foree the passages of (hat river, (ieii- 
eral Washiugtou, however, soon perceived that the position 
he had taken beciime every day more dangerous. The 
English, having finished their deharkution, were rea<ly to 
advance into the country; his Hank was exposed, aud he left 
uncovered, at ouce, Philadelphia and the whole county of 
Lauca.ster. It was determined therefore that the army 
should re]iass the Creek of P>randywine, and encamp on the 
left hank of that river. The position niade choice of, was 
certainly the best that could be taken to dispute the pas- 
sage. The left was very good, and sujyported by thick 
woods e.Ktending as far as the junction of the creek with 
the Delaware. As it approaches its conflux, this creek be- 
comes more and more embanked, and diflftcult to ford; the 
heights are e(|ual on the (wo baidvs; but for tliis r-eason the 
advantage was in favour of him who defended (he jtassage. 
A battery of cannon wi(h a good parajiet, was poin(ed 
towards Chaddsford, aud everydiing appeared in safety t)n 
that side; bu( to the right (he ground was so covered, that 
it was imjHissible to judge of (he motions of (he enemy, 
and to keep in a line wi(h (hem, in case (hey should 
attempt, as they did, (o de(ach a corps by (heir lef(, to 
pass the river higher up. The only precaution (hat could 
be taken was (o [liace live or si.x brigades in s(eps from 
each othei-, (o watch (hat manaeuvrc (ieneral Sullivan 
had the command of them; he received orders (o keep in a 
line with the enemy, should (hey march by (heir left; and 
on the supposition that (hey would unifc (heir forces on 
the side of Chaddsford, lie was himself (o pass ilie river, 
and make a ](owerful diversion on (heir (lank. 

When a general has foreseen everydiing, when he has 
made the best possible dispositions, ami his a<(ivi(y, his 



400 TRAVELS IN NOETH AMERICA 

judgment, and his courage in the actiou correspond with 
the wisdom of his measures, has he not already triumphed 
in the eyes of every impartial judge? and if by any unfor- 
seeu accidents, the laurels he had merited drop from his 
hands, is it not the historian's duty carefully to collect, 
and replace them on his brow? Let us hope that history 
will acquit herself of this duty better than us, and let us 
see how much wise dispositions wei'e disconcerted by the 
mistakes of some officers, and the inexperience of the 
troops. 

The 11th of September, 1777, General Howe occupied 
the heiglits on the right of the creek ; he there formed a 
part of his troops in line of battle, and prepared some bat- 
teries opposite Chaddsford, whilst his light troops were 
attacking and driving before them a corps of riflemen, who 
luid passed over to the right bank more closely to observe 
his motions. General Washington seeing the cannonade 
continue, without any disposition of the enemy to pass 
the river, concluded they had another object. He was in- 
formed that a great part of their army had marched higher 
up the creek, and were threatening his right; he felt the 
importance of keeping an attentive eye on all the move- 
ments of this corp; but the country was so covered with 
thickets, that the patroles could discover nothing. It must 
be observed that General Washington had a very small 
number of horses, and those he had sent to the right, 
towards Dilworth, to make discoveries on that side. He 
ordered an officer of whom he had a good opinion, to pass 
the river, and inform himself accurately of the route Lord 
Cornwallis was taking; for it was he who commanded this 
separate corps. The officer returned, and assured him 
that Cornwallis was marching by liis right to join Kynp- 
hausen, on the side of Chaddsford. According to this re- 
port, the attack seemed to be detei-mined on the left. An- 



PERFORMED BY :\r. De CnASTELLUX 401 

other ofiQcer was then sent, who reported tliat Cora wall is 
had changed his direction, and that he was rapidly ad- 
vancing by the road leading to Jefferies Ford, two miles 
higher than Birmingham Chnrch. (Joiieral Sullivan was 
immediately ordered to march tliitlier wifh all the troops 
of the right. Unfortunately the roads were badly recon- 
noitred, ami not at all open: with great difticnlty (Jeneral 
Sullivan got through the woods, and when he came out of 
them to gain a small eminence near Birmingham Church, 
he found tlie English columns mounting it on the opposite 
side. It was no easy mattei' to range into order of Imttle 
such troops as his; he had neither the time to choos(> his 
position, nor to form his line. The English gained the 
eminence, drove the Americans back on tlie woods, to tiie 
edge of which they pursued them, and they were totally 
dispersed. 

During the short time this action lasted. Lord Stirling 
and Ceueral Conway had time to form their brigade on 
pretty advantageous ground; it was a geulle rising, partly 
covered by the woods which bounded it; tlieir left was pro- 
tected by the same woods, and on (he right of this rising 
ground, but a little in the rear, was the Virginia line, wlio 
were ranged in line of liattle, au a high spot of ground, 
and on the edge of an open wood. Tlie left column of the 
enemy, wlio had not been engaged with Sullivan, formed 
rapidly, and marched against these troops with as much 
order as vivacity and courage. Tlie Americans made a 
very smart fire, which did not check the English, and it 
was not till the latter were within twenty yards of thcin, 
that they gave way, and threw themselves into the woods. 
Lord Stirling, M. de la Fayette, and (leneral Sullivan him- 
selfj'after the defeat of his division fought with this body 
of troops, whose post was the most important, and made 
the longest resistance. It was here that .M. de la Fayette 



402 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

was wounded in bis left lej?, in rall.vinji- tlie troops who 
were beginning to stagger. On tbe riglit, the N'irgiuia 
line made some resistance; but the Englisb had gained a 
height, from whence tlieir artillery took them en echarpe: 
tliis fire must have been very severe, for most of the trees 
bear the mark of bullets or cannon shot. The Virginians 
in their turn gave way, and (he i-ight was then entirely un- 
covered. 

Though this was tliree miles from < 'liaddsfonl, <lcn- 
eral Knyphansen heard the firing of the artillery, and nnis- 
quetry, and judging that the affair was serious, the con- 
fidence he had in the English and Hessian troo])s. made 
him couclude they wei-e vietoi-ious. Towards five in (he 
evening, he descendtMl from the heights in two columns, 
one at John's Ford, which turned the battei-y of the 
Americans, and the other loAver down at Ohaddsford. The 
latter marched straight to the battery and took it. (gen- 
eral Wayne, whose brigade was in the line of battle, the 
left on an eminence, and the right drawing towards the 
battery, then made that right fall back, and strengthened 
the heights, thus forming a sort of change of front. In a 
country where there are neither open columns, nor suc- 
cessive positions to take, in case of accident, it is difficult 
to nuike any disposition for retreat. The different corps 
who had been beaten, all precipitated themselves into the 
Chester Road, where they formed but one column; artil- 
lery, baggage, and troops being confusedly mixed together. 
At the beginning of the night General Washington also 
took this road, and the English, content witli their victory, 
did not disturb their retreat. 

Such is the idea I have formed of tiie l)attle of Rrandy- 
wine, fi'om what I have heard from (leueral AA'ashington 
himself, from M. de la Fayette, Mes.sieurs de Oimat, and de 
Alauduit, and from (he Generals Wayne and Sullivan. I 



PETJFOIiMED BY :\[. Dio rnASTELLUX 4ii:5 

must observe, howover, tliat there is a disagreenieut in 
some particulars; several jiersoiis. Tor example, pretend 
that Kiiypliauseu, after passing Atlie river, continued his 
march in one column to the batt( j.-y, and it is thus marked 
in the English plan, whicli fjives a false direction of tliat 
o<dumn; besides that (Jeneral >\'asIiin<;ton and (ieueral 
^Vayne assured me there were two, and tliat tiie left column 
turned the battery, whicli otherwise would not have been 
carried. It is e(|ually ditlicuK to trace out on the plan, 
all the ii'i-ound on which Coinwallis fouiihi. The relations 
on both sides throw hardly any lii>lit uiion it; I was oblii;c'd 
therefore to draw my con(dusions from the different narra- 
tives, and to follow none of them implicitly. 

Whilst we were exaniininii' the field of battle with the 
gTeatest minuteness, our servants went on the Chester to 
prepare dinner and apartments, but we socui followed them, 
and got there at foui- o'clock. The road did not appear 
long to me; for chance having sejiarated M- de la Fayette, 
M. de Noailles, and myself from the rest of the company, 
we entered into a very agreeable conversation, which con- 
tinued till we got to Chester. T could not help observing 
to them that after talking of nothing but war for three 
hours, we had suddenly changed the subject, and got on 
that of Paris, and all sorts of discussions relative to our 
jirivate societies. This transition was truly French, but 
it does not prove that we are less fond of war, than other 
nations, only that we like our friends better. We were 
scarcely arrived at Chester, before \\e saw some State 
barges or boats coming down the river, which the Tresi- 
dent had sent to conduct ns back to Philadelphia, it being 
our plan to remount the Delaware next day, in order to 
examine the Fort of l>dbank, and Fort Milflin, as well 
as the other posts which iiad served for the defence of the 
I'iver. An officer of tlie American navy who was come with 



404 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

these barges, to conduct us, informed us that two vessels 
were arrived at Philadelphia in thirty-live days from 
L'Orient. The hopes of receiving letters or news from 
Europe, almost tempted us to relinquish our projects, and 
set out immediately for Philadelphia ; but as the weather 
was fine, and we should have the tide in our favour next 
day, which i-endered our voyage more easy, we determined 
to remain at Chester, and M. de la Fayette sent off a uian 
and a horse to Philadelphia, to bring back news, and let- 
ters, if there were any. This courier returned before nine; 
and only brought us a line from the Chevalier de la Luz- 
erne, by which we learnt that these ships had no letters; 
but that the captains assured him, that Monsieur de Cas- 
tries was made minister of the marine- 

[He and his companions crossed over the Delaware to 
Billingsport and then proceeded to Fort Miftiin on the 
Jersey side of the river. He mentions Mud Island and 
describes Hog Island and describes in detail the unfor- 
tunate incidents in this region in connection with the plans 
which required a re-crossing of the Delaware. He takes 
great delight in describing the defeat of the Hessians in 
this i-egion. Recalling himself from this extended descrip- 
tion, he hastened his return to Philadelphia. He had only 
time to dress himself to attend the Chevalier de la Luz- 
erne and the companions of his journey, to dinner at Mr. 
Huntingdon's, the President of Congress. He did not long 
remain after the dinner but sought "a little snug rendez- 
vous with Mr. Samuel Adams."] 

We had promised ourselves at our last interview to set 
an evening apart for a tranquil tete-a-tete, and this was 
the day appointed. Our conversation commenced with a 
topic of which he might have spared himself the discus- 
sion : the justice of the cause he was engaged in. I am 



PEEFOIJMEL) BY .M. De ('11A8TELLUX 405 

clearly of opiuiou that the parliami'ut of Eujilaud had no 
right to tax America without her couseut, but I aui more 
clearlj- conviuced tliat when a w liole jicople say we will I)e 
free, it is difficult to deiiioiistiute they are iu the wroug. 
Be that as it may, .Mr. Adams very satisfactorily proved to 
me, that New Eusilaud, comprehending the States af Mas- 
sachussets. New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Khode Is- 
land, were not peopled with any view to commerce and ag- 
grandisement, Iiut wholly liy individuals who tied from 
persecution, and sought an asylum al the extremity of the 
world, where they might l)e fi'ee to live, and follow their 
opinions; that it was of their own accord, that those new 
colonisis ])nt themselves under I lie iirolectiou of England; 
that the mulual iclalionship, springing from lliis c<niucc- 
tion, was expressed in their characters, and the right of 
imposing, or exacting revenue of any kind was not coiu- 
prized in them. 

From this subject we passed to a more inieresting one; 
the form of government which sliouid be given to each 
State; for it is only on account of the future, that it is 
necessary to take a retrospect of the i)asl. The Itevolution 
has taken place, and the republic has taken place, and the 
repnblic is beginning; it is an infant newly born, the ques- 
tion is how to nourish, and rear it to maturity. I ex- 
pressed to Mr. Adams some anxiety for the foundations 
on which the new constitutions are formed, and particu- 
larly that of Massachussets. Every citizen, said I, every 
man who pays taxes, has a right to vote in the electi(ui of 
Representatives, who form the legislative body, and who 
may be called the sovereign power- All this is very well 
for the present moment, because every citizen is pretty 
equally at his ease, or may be so in a shoit time; but the 
success of commerce, and even agriculture, will introduce 
riches amongst you, and riches will produce ine(iualily of 



406 TKx\.VEl.vS ]x\ NUKTLI AMEKICA 

fortunes, aud of property. Now, wherever this iuequalit.y 
exists, the real force will invariably be on the side of proj)- 
erty; so that if the influence in govermueut be not propor- 
tioned to that property, there will always be a contrariety, 
a combat between the foi-ni of government, and its natural 
(eudeucy, the right will he on one side, and the i)ower on 
the other; the balance then only can exist between the two 
equally dangerous extremes, of aristocracy and anarchy. 
Besides, the ideal worth of men must ever be comparative; 
an iudividual without ]u-oi)erty is a discontented citizen, 
when the State is ]ioor; place a rich man near him, he 
dwindles into a clown, ^Vhat will result then, one day, 
from vesting the right of election in this class of citizens? 
The source of civil broils, or corruption, perhaps lioth at 
the same tiuH\ The following was pretty nearer the an- 
swer of I\Ir. Adams. 1 am very sensible of the force of your 
objections; we are not what we should be, we siioidd 
labour rather for the future, than for the present uu)meul. 
I build a country house, and have infant children; I ought 
doubtless to construct their apartments with an eye to the 
time in which they shall be grown up and married : but 
we have not neglected this precaution. In the tirst place, 
I must inform you, that this new constitution was proposed 
and agreed to in the most legitimate manner of which there 
is an example since the days of Lycurgus. A committee 
chosen from the members of the legislative body, then ex- 
isting, and which might be considered as a provisional 
government, was named to prepare a new code of laws. 
As soon as it was prepared, each county or district was re- 
quired to name a committee to examine this plan: it was 
recommended to them to send it back at the expiration of a 
certain time, with their observations. These observations 
having been discussed by the committee, and the necessary 
alterations uuule, the plan was sent back to each particular 



I'EKFOK.MEl) HV M. Di; (MIASTELLUX 1(»7 

foiiuuitlcc. A\li('ii flic.v liad all aii|n-<'\c(l il, they r('(civc<l 
oiilei's to (•((iiiiiinnicale i( lo Ibc peojilc at lai-jic, and (o i\r- 
iiuiui-l tlieir siiilj-a^cs. If two-lliinls of Mie voters approved 
it, it was to iiave (lie fon-c of law, aud he rejiard(>d as (lie 
worli of the people themselves; of two and tweuty tiioiisaiid 
snffraj;es, a iimcii greater i)rop()rtion thau two-lliirds was 
in favour of (he new const idition. Now these were (If 
jiriui-iiiles on which i( was es(aldisli(Ml : a Stale is never 
free lint when each cilizen is honnd liy no law whatever 
that he has not ap|iro\-cd of, cillici- himself, or liy his rep- 
resen(a(ives; hnt lo reiireseni another man, it is nei-cssary 
to lia\e l)een elected hy him; escry ciliziMi (lierefore should 
have a pait in elections. On the other hand, i( would he 
in vain for the people (<) possess the rii;lit of electinji' rep- 
resentatives, were they restrained in the choice of tliem to 
a particulai' class; it is necessary therefore not to re(mire 
loo much |proiieily as a c|ualitication foe the re|u-esentati\'e 
of the people. Accordiii^ly the House of i;e[>resent.atives, 
wlii<-li form the lej>islative body, and (he true sovereijiu, 
are tlie people themselves represented by (heir delegates. 
Tims far the goverument is purely democratieal ; but it i« 
the permanent and en]ii;hteu<Ml will of the jieople which 
should constitute law, aud not the passions and sallies (o 
which they are too subject It is necessary to moderate 
their first emotions, and bring them to the test of inquiry 
and reflection. Tliis is the important business entrusted 
with the Governor and Senate, who represent with us (he 
negative power, vested in England in the u])per-house, and 
even in the crown, witli this differem-e only, that in our 
new constitution the Senat(> has a right to reject a law, and 
the Governor to suspend the jiromnlgation, and return it 
for a reconsideration; but these forms complied with, if, 
after this fresh examination, the peojple i)ersist in (heir 
resolution, and there is then, not as before, a mere maj<ir- 



408 TKAVELS IN NOKTH AMEIJICA 

ity, but two-thirds of the suffrages in fiivoui- of the law, 
the Governor and Senate are compelled to <five it their 
sanction. Thus this f»ower moderates, without destroying 
the authority of the people, and such is the organization of 
our Kepublic, as to prevent the spriugs from breaking by 
too rapid a movement, without ever stopping them entirely. 
Now, it is here we have given all its weight to property. A 
man must have a pretty considerable property to vote for 
a member of the Senate; he must have a more considerable 
one to be himself eligible. Thus the democracy is pure and 
entire in the assembly, which represents the sovereign ; and 
the aristocracy, or, if you Mill, the optimacy, is to be found 
only in the moderating jtower, where it is the more neces- 
sary, as men ever watch more carefully over tlie State 
when they have a great interest in its destiny. As to the 
power of commanding armies, it ought neither to be vested 
iu a great, udr even in a small uumber of men; the Gover- 
nor alone can employ the forces by sea and laud according 
to the necessity; but the land forces will consist only in 
the militia, which, as it is composed of the people them- 
selves, can never act against the people. 

Such was the idea Mr. Adams gave me of his own 
work, for it is he who had the greatest part iu the forma- 
tion of the uew laws. It is said, however, that before his 
credit was employed to get them accepted, it was uecessai'y 
to combat his private opinion, and to make him abandon 
systems in which he loved to stray, for less sublime, but 
more practicable projects. This citizen, otherwise so re- 
spectable, has been frequently reproached with cousulting 
his library, rather than the present circumstances, and of 
always beginning by the Greeks and Romans, to get at the 
whigs and tories ; if this be true, I shall only say that study 
has also its inconveniences, but not such as are important, 
since Mr. Samuel Adams, heretofore the enemy of regular 



PEliFOKMEU BY M. ])k CHASTELLUX 409 

troops, aufl the, most extrava<taut partisau of the deuioc- 
racy, at present employs all his intlueuce to maiutaiu au 
army, and to establish a mixed government. Be that as it 
may, 1 departed well content with this couvei'sation, which 
was only interrupted hy a glass of Madeii'a, a dish of tea, 
and au old American General, now a meiiiher of Congress, 
who lodges with Mr. Adams. 

I knew that there was a hall at the Chevalier de la 
l^n/-eren's which made me less in a hnrry to return thitiier; 
it was, however, a vei-y agreeable assembly; for it was given 
to a private society, on the occasion of a marriage. There 
ftere neai- twenty women, twelve or fourteen of whom wer(> 
dancers; each of them having her partner, as is tlie custom 
in America. Dancing is said to be at once the emblem of 
gaiety and of love; hen; it seems to be the emidem of legis- 
lation, and of marriage; of legislation, inasmuch as jilaces 
arc marked (iiil, the coiitiliy dances named, and every pro- 
ceeding pro\'ided for, cab-ulaled, and submit,le<l to i-egula- 
tion; of marriage, as it furnishes each lady with a ])artner, 
with whom she dances the whole evening, without being 
allowed, to take another. It is true that every severe law 
requires mitigation, and that it often hap])ens, that a 
young lady after dancing the two or three first dances with 
her partner, may make a fresh choice, or accept of the invi- 
tation she has received; but still the comparison holds 
good, for it is a nmrriage in the European fashion. Stran- 
gers have generally the privilege of being complimented 
with the handsomest women. The Comte de Damas had 
Mrs. Binghan for his partner, and the ViconUe de Noailles, 
Jliss Shii)i)en. Both of them, like true philosophers, testi- 
fied a great respect for the manners of the country, by not 
quitting their handsome partners the whole evening; in 
other respects they were the admiration of all the assembly ; 
from the grace and nobleness with which they danced; I 



110 TRAVELS IN XOU'TH AiMEHlCA 

may even assert, lo (lie lioiMnn- of my cDUiifry, (hiil lliey 
surpassed a Cliief Jiistuc <il' < 'iii-oliiia, ( Mr. I'emllcluu | and 
two nieiubers of ('ougress, one of whom (Mr. Diiaiit') 
passed liowever for beJiim" ten per cent. n\ore lively tlian all 
the odier (hiiicers. The hall was suspended, to\v;irds mid- 
night, by a. su])])cr, served in I he manner of eolfee, ou sev- 
eral different taldes. Ou (>assin<;- into Die dining-room, the 
Chevalier de l;i Luzerne jtresenled bis band to Mrs. Morris, 
and gave her I he pii'ccdcncr, an honour |iiclly gi'uei-ally 
bestowed on her, as she is the i-ichesf \\()ni;ui in (he city, 
and all ranks bere being equal, men follow their natural 
beut, by giving tlie ])refereiu-e (o riches. The ball con- 
(inued (ill (wo in (he inorning, as I li'arn( Ibc ue.xt morning 
on rising, fo?- J had seen loo many aKacks and battles the 
day befoj-e not (o have learid (o make a limely relreat. 

[Chastellux had sevcnd inleresdug conversalious witli 
the Quakers who. with all (heir generally amiable qualities, 
<lid not seem to stand well in (he community from a pa- 
triotic iHiint of view, and seems impelled to satisfy his 
curiosity by seeing hiiw Die dilTcrcMd "s(>c(s" condncf (liem- 
selves.] 

On Sunday, the 10th, I had i-esolved (o make a circuit 
though the churches, and different places of worship. Un- 
luckily the different sects, who agree in neither point, take 
the same hour to assemble tin; faithful, so that in the morn- 
in I was only able to visit the Quakers meeting, and in the 
afternoon the church of l<]ngland. The hall the Quakers 
meet in is square; there are, on every side, and parallel 
with the walls, benches and desks, by which means they are 
placed opposite to ea(rli other, without either altar or pul- 
pit to attract attention. As soon as they are assembled, one 
of the more elderly makes an extempore prayer, of what- 
ever comes uppermost in his mind ; silence is then observed 



PEKFOKMEl) i;V .M. Di: C'HASTELLUX 111 

uiiUl soiin' man oi- woman feels inspiicd, and rises lo si)pak. 
Ti-iiveilcrs mns( he (akeii at tlieir woid, liowevci- extraov- 
ilinai\' (iieii- ninlixcs. Like Ai'iosln, ) sliaii i-econnt jirfxl- 
ipes, '///■'; iii<iriiri(/liii : liiil il is a laci llial. I arrived al ilie 
momenl a woman was (i(nie lioidinj;- forth; slie was fol- 
lo\\'ertliy a man w lio lalked a ureal deal of nonsense alioul 
internal, liie illnminai i<ni of liii' spiiit. and llie oilier doj;-- 
mas of liis seel, wliieji lie liandie(l alioul, Iml took speeial 
(■ar(> nol to explain lliem; and al lenulli tinislied his dis- 
course to Hie i^real eonleiil of (he hrellireu, and the sislei'- 
liood, who li-id all of iImmii a verv inallentive and listless 
air. Afler seven oi- eiuhl minutes of silence, an old man 
weni on his knees, dealt ns onl a very unmeaning prayer, 
and dismissed the anilience. 

On (|uitlinu' (his melancholy, lioiiiespiin assenildy. I lie 
service of (he Eji.i;lisli church appeai-ed lo nie a soil of 
o]iera. as well for (he music as (he decoral ions: a handsome 
inilpit jilacod before a handsome oruaii ; a handsome min- 
ister in that pnlpit. readinj;-, s]ieakin.i;. and siiiiiing- with a 
jzrace entirely tliealrical, a nnmlier of youn^' women an- 
swerino' melodionsly from the pit and hoxes, (for the (wo 
side galleries form a sort of boxes) a soft and agreeable 
vocal music, with excellent sonatas, played alternately on 
the organ; all this, compared lo (he (^lakers. the Anaba])- 
tists, the Presbyterians, etc.. appeared to me rather like a 
little paradise itself, (han as the i-oad to i(. If, however, 
we consider th(> dilferenl sects. wlie(her rigid, or frivolous, 
liiit all imperious, all exclusive, we think we see men read- 
ing in the great book of nalnre. like Montanciel a( his les- 
son, when instead of roiis ilrs ini hlanc hcc, he persists in 
repeating Irani pcitc hlexxr. I( is a milliom to one that a 
man slnmhl liit nii«m a line of wiiting without knowing 
how to spell his letters: but should he come to ask your 



412 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

assistance, beware how you meddle with hiiu ; it is better 
to leave hiin iu his error than to out throats with him. 

I shall oulv mentiou my dinner this day at Mrs. Pow- 
ell's to say that it was excellent and aj;reeable in every 
respect. The conversation carried us so far into the even- 
ing, that it was near eleven when I returned home- 

M. de la Fayette had made a party with the Viconite de 
Noallies and the Comte de Damas, to go the next laoruing, 
first to German-Town (which the two latter had not yet 
seen), and from thence to the old camp at Whitemarsli. 
Though I had already viewed the former, I had no objec- 
tion to going over it a second time, besides that I was 
curious to see the complete Whitemarsli. It is that which 
was occii|>i('d hr (iencral Washington after the unsuccess- 
ful attempt of the 7th of October. As this was a bold 
position which the English never dared to attack, it is 
very celebi'ated in the American army, where they assert 
that they had lUi othei- entrenchment tlian two redoubts. 
The fact is, that the position is excellent, and does great 
honour to General Washington, who could discover it, as 
if by instinct, through those woods with which the country 
was then covered ; but it is no less true, that General Howe 
had every reason for not attacking it, and, amongst others, 
for the following : descending from the heights of German- 
Town, there are very thick woods ; on coming out of them, 
to the west, is a pretty high hill, the foot of which is 
watered by a rivulet, with steep banks, which turns to- 
wards the north and protects the right of the camp. Six 
pieces of cannon were placed on this eminence, with four 
hundred men, who formed an advanced pion. It is called 
Chestnut-Hill, from a little church of that name, situated 
on its summit; behind this eminence, and behind the woods 
which stretch from east to west, the ground rises consider- 
ably, and fonns two hills with a gentle declivity, which 



PERFOEMED BY :\r. Di: CRASTELLUX 41 r, 

commands Chestnut Church; here tlie anu.y was encamped. 
These hills are uuly separated by a small bottom; each 
summit was fortitled witli a redoulit, and the slojic of it 
defended by an abattis. The hill on the left was still fur- 
ther protected by a rivulet, which miyiit be iucreased at 
pleasure, as it ran beliind the camp, and it was easy to 
make the dams necessary for raising the waters. The front 
of this position, 'tis true, is covered with wood ; but these 
woods terminate at three hundred yards from the line 
formed abreast; an enemy tlierefore must have come out of 
them uncovered, and how get through a wood where there 
is no road, and which was tilled with militia and ritiemeu? 
I pointed out the more minutely all the advantages of this 
position, that I might amuse uiyself in exaggerating them 
to M. de la Fayette, to convince him that he was a (lascon 
as well as the rest of them. TTe owned to me that the 
camp was a good one, and that if the r^nglisii had given 
them room for jyleasantiy, it was only by in.sei'ting in their 
i-elathms that the Eebels were so well entrenched tlial if 
was impossible to attack them. But we were unanimous 
in onr conclusion, that the more respectable this position 
was, the more honoui' it did to (Jeneral AVashington, who 
had divined, rather than discovered it. Tliis was really 
an eagle's eye view, for it seems as if he must liave hovered 
above the trees to examine the ground concealed by them. 
Having taken our view, we returned briskly to the 
Chevalier de la Luzerne's, where dinner ca uu^ very apropos, 
after being eight hours on horseliack, and riding six and 
thirty nules. In the afternoon we drank tea with Miss 
Shippeu. This was the first time, since my arrival in 
America, that I had seen music introduced into society, 
and mix with its amusements. Miss Uutledge playc.'d on 
the harpsichord, and played very well. Miss Shippeu sung 
with timidity, but with a pretty voice. Mr. Ottaw, secre- 



414 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

tary to M. de la Luzerne, sent for liis harp ; lie accoinpauieil 
Miss Shippeu, and pluved several pieees. Music naturally 
leads to dancing: the Vicomte de Noailles took do^vn a vio- 
lin, which was mounted with harp strings, and he made the 
young ladies dance, whilst their mothers and other gi-ave 
l)ersonages cliatted in another room. When music, and 
the tine arts come to prosper at Philadelphia; when society 
once becomes easy and gay thei"e, and they leiU'n to accept 
of pleasure when it presents itself, without a formal invi- 
tation, tlien may foreigners enjoy all tlie advantages pecu- 
liar to their manners and government, williout envying 
anything in Euroi)e. 

The 12th, in the morning, a new cavalcade, and a new 
reconnoitring party, M. de la Fayette was to do the honours 
of this. Tlie just interest he inspires, has given still more 
cele1)rity to an event, of itself singular enough. The al- 
liance witli France being already public in June, 1778, it 
seemed probable that the English would not delay the 
evacuation of Philadelphia. In tliis strife of things, though 
it was (leneral Washington's business lo risque nothing 
it was important nevertheless to watch the motion of tlu; 
enemy. M. de la Fayette received orders to mardi fiom 
Valley Forge, with two thousand infantry, fifty dragoons, 
and as many savages, to pass the Schuylkill, and take a 
post on a heiglit called liari'euhill, about twelve miles dis- 
tant from Philadelphia. The position was critical, he 
might be attacked, or turned, by three different roads; but 
^I. de la Fayette guarded the most direct of the three; Ji 
brigadier-general of militia, named Potter, had orders to 
watch the sec(»nd, and patroles kept an eye upon the third, 
which was the most circuitous. Though these precautions 
seemed sufficient at first sight, they must not have been 
deemed so by General Howe; for he tliouglit he had now 
fairly caught the ^larquis, and even carried his gasconade 



!'Ki;i'tn;.Mi:]^ r.y m. i»k chapitemjtx 415 

81) I'ai- as (() iiiviic laiiies lo nicfl liiiii at su])iti'r tlic next 
(lay, and whilst Hit' ]»i-iiici|ial jiart ol' the officers were at 
Hie play, he put in movement Hie iiiahi body of bis forces, 
which lie maicheil in three coluiiins. The first, commanded 
liy (ieneial Howe in person, look ilic direct road to Bar- 
renliill, j)assiniLi Sclniylkill i-'alls, and keejjinii' alonj'' tli(^ 
river; ilie second, led hy (ieneral <Jrey. ke])t th<' liiuh road 
of ( lermaii-'rowi!. and was lo fall on .\I. tie la I'ayette's left 
Hank; the iliird, umler the tirilers of (it'nei-al (Jrarit, made 
a lonjj circuit, inarcliiiiii first hy I'Vankfort, then tinning- 
upon Oxford, tt) reach (lie only ford hy wliicli the Ameri- 
cans could i-ei real. 

This complicated iiiarcli w^as executed the more easily, 
;is llie ICn'ilish liatl jiosiiive iutelliu,i'nce that the militia 
dill not t)ccupy the ptisi assigned them. I'Virtunately for 
.M. de la fayetle, twti tdticers had set t)Ut early from the 
camp tt) lit) into ihe -leiseys, where they had hiisiness; 
these officers havinii successively fallen in with two col- 
umns of Ihe enemy, resolved to return It) llie cam]) throunh 
the woods, as (piick as po.ssihle. (ieiieral Howe's column 
was not long in reaching the advaiK wl pt)sts of M. de la 
l-'ayette; which gave rise it) a laiighahle ent)\igh adventure. 
The fifty savages he had with him, wt-re i)lacetl in an am- 
busttade, in the wotids, after their manner, that is tt) say. 
lying as (dose as rahliils. l-'ifty l<'.nglisli dragoons, who had 
never seen any 'Indians, marching at the head of the col- 
umn, entered the wood where they were hid, who on their 
l)art had never seen dragooms. Up tb(n' start raising a 
horrible crv. throw down then- arms, and escape by swim- 
ming across the Sehnylkill. The dragoons, on the other 
haml as much terrified as they wei-e, turnt-d about their 
horses, and did not rei^ovt-r tbeir i)anio till tbey got back to 
I'hiladeliihia. M. dc la Payette, now finding that he was 
turned, concluded very justly like a warrior, that tbe 



416 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

ooliimn inarched against him would not be tlie first to make 
tlie attack, and that it would wait till tlie other was in 
readiness. He immediately changed his front, therefore, 
and took a good position opposite the second column, hav- 
ing before him Barrenhill cliurch, and behind him the open- 
ing which served as a retreat. But he had scarcely occupied 
this position, before he learnt that General Gi'ant was on 
Iiis march to the Schuylkill Foid, and was already nearer 
to it than himself. Nothing remained but to retreat: but 
the only road he had, made him approach the column of 
General Grant, and exposed him to be attacked by it in 
front, whilst Grey and Howe fell upon his rear. The road, 
'tis true, soon tuiming to the left, became separated by a 
small valley from that General Grant was on, but this 
valley itself was crossed by several roads, and it must, in 
short, be traversed to reach the Ford. In this situation, his 
own greatness of mind alone suggested to the young soldier 
the pi'oper conduet, as well as consummate experience 
could possibly have done. He knew that more honour is 
lost, than time gained, in converting a retreat into flight. 
He continued his march, therefore, in so tranquil and i-eg- 
ular an order, that he imposed on General (Jrant, and made 
him believe, that he was sustained l)y Washington's whole 
army, which was waiting for him at the end of the defile. 
On the other hand, Howe himself, on airiving on the 
heights of Bai-i-enhill, was deceived by the first manaeuvre 
of Jf. de la Payette; for seeing the Americans in line of 
battle, on the very spot where the second column was to 
appear, he imagined it was General Grey who had got 
possession of this position, and thus lost some minutes in 
looking through his glass, and in sending to reconnoitre. 
General Grey also lost time in waiting for the right and 
left columns. From all these mistakes it followed, tiiat 
M. de la Fayette Iiad tlie opportunity of effecting his re- 



PERFORMED BY M. Db CHASTELLUX 417 

treat, as if ])y eucliantmeut, ami be passed the river with 
all his artillery without losing a man. »Six alarm gnus, 
which were tired at the armv, on the first news of this at- 
tack, served, I believe, to keep the enemy in awe, who 
imagined the whole American army were in march. The 
English, after finding the bird fiowu, returned to Phila- 
delphia, .spent with fatigue, and ashamed of having done 
nothing. The ladies did not see ;M. de la Payette, and Gen- 
eral Howe himself arrived too late for supper. 

In reciting this affair, I give at the same time an ac- 
count of my ride, for I followed the exact road of the left 
column, wdiich leads to Schuylkill Falls, where there is a 
sort of scattered village, composed of several beautiful 
country houses ; amongst others, that of the Chevalier de la 
Luzerne. A small ci'eek which fall into the Schuylkill, 
the height of ten or twelve feet, the mills turned hy this 
creek, the trees which cover its banks, and thiise of the 
Schuylkill, form a most pleasing landscape, which would 
not escape the pencil of Robei-t and Le Prince. 

Notiiing can equal the beauties of the coup d' aeil which 
the banks of the Schuylkill present, in descending towards 
the south to return to Philadel])hia. 

I found a pretty numerous company assembled at din- 
ner at the Chevalier de la Luzerne's which w^as augmented 
by the an-ival of the Comte de Custine and the M. de Laval. 
In the evening we took them to see the President of the 
Congress, who was not at home, and then to Mr. Peters, 
the Secretary to the Board of War, to whom it was my 
first visit. His house is not large, nor liis office of great 
importance; for every thing which is not in the power of 
the general of the army, depends on each particular State, 
much more than on Congress ; but he possesses what is pre- 
ferable to all the departments in the world, an amiable 
wife, (the Marquis might have added, very beautiful) ex- 



418 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

cellent health, a good voice, and great gaiety and humour. 
We conversed some time together, and he spoke of the 
American ai'my with as much freedom as good sense. He 
confessed that formerly their army knew no discipline, and 
he insisted strongly on the obligations they owed to the 
Baron de Soeuben, who performed the duties of Inspector- 
General. Passing them to the eulogium of Messieurs de 
Fleury, du Portal, and all the French officers who had 
served in the late campaigns, he observed, that those who 
offered their service at the beginning, had not given a very 
advantageous idea of their countr3^ They were almost all 
furnished, however, with letters of recommendation from 
the governors or commandants of our colonies; in whicli 
they seem to me very reprehensible. The weakness which 
prevents men from refusing a letter of recommendation, or 
the desire of getting rid of a good for nothing fellow, con- 
tinually gets the better of justice and good faith ; we de- 
ceive, we expose the reiJUtation of our allies, but we still 
more essentially betray the interests of our country, whose 
honour and character are thus shamefully prostituted. 

I shall only speak of Mr. Price, with whom we drank 
tea and spent the evening to bear witness to the gener- 
osity of this gallant man, who, born in Canada and always 
attached to the French, lent two hundred thousand livres, 
hard money, to M. de Corny, whom the court had sent 
with fifty thousand livres only to make provision for our 
army. 

The 13th, I went with the Chevalier de hi Luzerne, and 
the French travellers, to dine with the Southern Dele- 
gates. Messieurs Sharp, Flowy, and Maddison, were the 
nearest to me ; I conversed a great deal with them, and v/as 
much satisfied with their conversation. But I Avas still 
more so with that I had in the afternoon at Mrs. Mere- 
dith's, General Cadwallander's daughter; this was the first 



PERFORMED BY M. Db CHASTELLUX 419 

time I had seen this amiable family, although the Cheva- 
lier de la Luzerne was very intimate with them ; but they 
had only just arrived from the country, where Genei-al 
Cadwallauder was still detained by business. It is this 
gentleman who had a duel with Mr. Chace, formerly a 
Delegate for Mai'yland, and severely wounded him in the 
jaw with a pistol shot. Mrs. Meredith has three of four 
sisters, or sisters-in-law. I was astonished at the freedom 
and gaiety which reigned in this family, and regretted not 
having known them sooner. I chattered more particularly 
with Mrs. Meredith, who appeared to me very amiable and 
well informed. In the course of an hour we talked of litera- 
ture, poetry, romances, and above all, history : I found she 
knew that of France very well ; the comparison between 
Francis I. and Henry IV. between Turenne and Goude, 
Richelieu and Mazarine, seemed familiar to her, and she 
made them with much grace, wit, and understanding. 
Whilst I was talking with Mrs. -Meredith, Mr. Lynch had 
got possession of Miss Polly Cadwallauder, who had like- 
wise made a conquest of him, insomuch that the Chevalier 
de la Luzerne Avas much entertained at the enthusiasm with 
which this company inspired us, and the regret we ex- 
pressed at not having become sooner acquainted with them. 
It must be acknowledged, with regard to the ladies who 
compose it. that none of them is what may be called hand- 
some; the mode of expression, is, perhaps, a little too cir- 
cuitous for the American women, but if they have wit 
enough to comprehend, and good sense enough to be flat- 
tered with it, their eulogium will be complete. 

I know not how it happened, that since my arrival in 
Philadelphia, I had not yet seen Mr. Payne, that author 
so celebrated in America, and thnmghout Europe, by his 
excellent work, entitled Common Sense, and several other 
political pamphlets. Mr. de la Fayette and I had asked 



420 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

the permissiou of an iuteiview for tlie 14tli in the morning, 
and we waited on him accordingly with Colonel Laui-eus. 
I discovered, at his apartments, all the attributes of a man 
of letters; a room pretty much in disorder, dusty furniture, 
and a large table covered with books lying open, and manu- 
sci'ipts begun. His person was in a correspondent dress, 
nor did his physiognomy belie the spirit that reigns 
throughout his works. Our conversation was agreeable 
and animated, and such as to form a connection between 
us, for he has written to me since my departure, and seems 
desirous of maintaining a constant correspondence. His 
existence at Philadelphia is similar to that of those poli- 
tical writers in England, who have obtained nothing, and 
have neither credit enough in the State, nor sufficient poli- 
tical weight to obtain a part in the affairs of government. 
Their w'orks are read with more curiosity than confidence, 
their projects being regarded as the play of imagination, 
than as well concerted plans, and sufficient in credit ever 
to produce any real effect: theirs is always considered as 
the work of an individual, and not that of a party ; infor- 
mation may be drawn from them, but not consequences; 
accordingly we observe, that the influence of these authors 
is more felt in the satirical, than in the dogmatical style, 
as it is easier for them to deci-y other men's opinions than 
to establish their own. This is more than the case with 
Mr. Payne than anybody; for having formerly held a post 
in government, he has now no connection with it; and as 
his patriotism and his talents are unquestionable, it is 
natural to conclude tliat the vivacity of his imagination, 
and the independence of his character, render him more 
calculated for reasoning on affairs, than for conducting 
them.* 



•Mr. Payne has since written a very Interesting pamplilet on tlie finances of 
America, entitled, the Crisis; an answer to the History of the American Revolution. 



PERFORilED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 421 

Another literary man, as much respected, though less 
celebrated, expected lis at dinner; this was Mr. Wilson, 
whom I have already mentioned: his honse and library 
are in tlie best order; he gave ns an excellent dinner, and 
received ns with a plain and easy politeness. Mrs. Wilson 
did the honours of the table with all possible attention; 
but we were particularly sensible to the mark of it she 
gave us, by retiring after the desert, for then the dinner 
assumed an air of gaiety. l\Ir- Peters, the minister at war, 
gave the signal of joy and liberty by favouring us with a 
song of his composition, so jolly and so free, that I shall 
dispense with giving either a translation, or an extract. 
This was really a very excellent song. He then sung an- 
other more chaste, and more musical ; a very fine Italian 
Contabile. ^Mr. Peters is, uniiuestionably, the minister of 
(he two worlds, who has tlie best voice, and wlio sings the 
bpst, tlie pathetic and the bouffon. I was told that the pre- 
ceding year there were some private concerts at Philadel- 
phia, where he sang amongst other pieces of comic operas, 
a burlesque part in a very pleasant trio, by himself, which 
he seasoned with all the humerous strokes usual on such 
occasions, and afforded the highest amusement to tlie com- 
pany, .so that this was not the time for saying, one cannot 
lose a kingdom more gaily, but, it is impossilile to be more 
gay in forming a repuldic. After this, conclude from par- 
ticulars to generals, judge of whole nations by one speci- 
men, and establish ])rinciples without exceptions! 

The assembly, or snl)scri])tion ball, of which 1 must give 
an account, may here be properly inlroduced. At Phila- 
delphia, as at London, Bath, Spa, etc., there are places ap- 
propriated for the young people to dance in, and wliere 
those whom that amusement does not suit, j)lay at different 
games of cards; but at IMiiladeliihia games of commerce 
are alone allowed. A manager, or master of ceremonies 



422 TEAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

presides at these methodical amusements: he presents to 
the gentlemen and ladies, dancers, billets folded np con- 
taining each number; thus fate decides the male or female 
partner for the whole evening. All the dances are pre- 
viously arranged, and the dancers are called in their 
turns. These dances, like the toasts we drink at table, have 
some relation to politics: one is called the success of the 
campaign, another, the defeat of Burgoyne, and a third, 
Clinton's retreat. The managers are generally chosen 
from amongst the most distinguished officers of the army ; 
this important place is at present lield by Colonel Wilkin- 
son, who is also clothier general of the army. Colonel 
Mitchell, a little fat, squat man, fifty years old, a gi'eat 
judge of horses, and who was lately contractor for car- 
riages, both for the American and French armies, was for- 
merly the manager ; but when I saw him, he had descended 
from the magistracy, and danced like a private citizen. 
He is said to have exercised his office with great severity, 
and it is told of him, that a young lady who was figuring 
in a country dance, having forgot her turn by conversing 
with a friend, he came up to her, and called out aloud, give 
over, Miss, take care what you are about; do you think 
you come here for your pleasure? 

The assembly I went to on leaving Mr. Wilson, was the 
second of the winter. I was apprized that it would be 
neither numerous nor brillant, for at Philadelphia, as at 
Paris, the best company seldom go to balls before Christ- 
mas. On entering the room, however, I found twenty, or 
five and twenty ladies ready for dancing. It w^as whis- 
pered me, that having heard a great deal of the Vicomte 
de Noailles, and the Comte de Dam as, tJiey were come with 
the hopes of having them for partners ; but they were com- 
pletely disappointed, those gentlemen having set out that 
very morning. I should have been disappointed also, had 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 423 

I expected to see pretty women. Tliere were onlv two 
passable, one of wliom, called Miss Footman, was rather 
conti'aband, that is to say, suspected of not being a very 
good whig, for the tory ladies are publicly excluded from 
this assembly. I was here presented to a rediculous enough 
personage, but who plays her part in the town ; a Miss 
Viny, celebrated for her coquetry, her wit, and her sarcas- 
tic disposition : she is thirty, and does not seem on the 
point of marriage. In the mean time she applies red, white, 
blue, and all possible colours, affect.s an extraordinary 
mode of dressing her hair and person, and, a staunch whig 
in every point, slie sets no bounds to her liberty. 

I intended leaving Philadelphia the 15th, but the Presi- 
dent of the State, who is also President of the Academy, 
was so good as to invite me to a meeting of that body to be 
held that day. It was the more difficult for me to refuse 
his invitation, as it was proposed to elect me a foreign 
member. The meetings are held only once a fortnight, and 
the elections take place but once a year: every candidate 
must be presented and recommended by a member of the 
academy ; after which recommendation his name is placed 
up during three succeeding sittings, in the hall of the 
academy, and the election is at length i)roceeded to by 
ballot. I had only heard of mine tlu-ee days before. It 
was unanimous, which very rarely happens, M. de la Fay- 
ette himself, who was elected at the same time, had one 
black ball against him, but it was thought to have been 
an accident. Out of one and twenty candidates, only 
seven were chosen, although the others had been strongly 
recommended, and there wei-e several vacancies. 

As the sittings of the academy did not begin till seven 
in the evening, I employed my morning in paying visits, 
after which I dined at Mr. Holker's with the Chevalier de 
la Luzerne, M. de la Fayette, and all the French officers : 



424 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

from thence I went to the academy, accompanied by M. 
Marbois, a member of that body, as well as M. de la Luz- 
erne, who having other biisiness, excused himself from at- 
tending me, but left me in very good hands. Mr. Marbois 
unites to all political and social qualities, a great deal of 
literature, and a perfect knowledge of the English lang- 
uage. The assembly consisted of only fourteen or fifteen 
persons; the President of the college performed the office 
of secretary. A memoir was read on a singular plant, a 
native of the country; the secretary then gave an account 
of correspondence, and read a letter, the object of which 
was, for the academy of Philadelphia to associate with, or 
rather adopt several learned societies which are forming 
in each State. This project tended to make of this academy 
a sort of literary congress, with which the pai'ticular legis- 
latures should keep a correspondence, but it was not 
thought proper to adopt this idea; the members seeming 
to be afraid of the trouble inseparable from all these adop- 
tions, and the academy not wishing to make the following 
lines of Racine's Athalie applicable to them : 
D' our lui viennent de tons cotes, 
Ces enfaus qu'en son sein elle n'a pas portes! 
I returned as soon as possible to the Chevalier de la 
Luzerne's, to have a still further enjoyment of that society 
which had constituted my happiness for the last fortnight ; 
for it is unquestionably a very great one, to live with a 
man whose amiable and mild character never varies on 
any occasion; whose conversation is agreeable and in- 
structive, and whose easy and unaffected politeness is the 
genuine expression of the best disposition. But however 
allowable it may be to declare one's own sentiments, when 
dictated by justice and gratitude, there is always a sort 
of personality in regarding public men only as they respect 
their connections with ourselves : it is to the King's Min- 



PEEFOinrED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 425 

ister, in America ; it is to a man who most ably fills a most 
important post, that I owe my testimony and my praises. 

I shall say, without fear of contradiction, that the 
Chevalier de la Luzerne is so formed for the station he oc- 
cupies, that one would be led to imagine no other could 
fill it but himself; noble in his expences, like the minister 
of a great monarchy, but as plain in his manners as a 
republican, he is equally proper to represent the King with 
Congress, or the Congress with the King. He loves tl)e 
Americans, and his own inclination attaches him to the 
duties of his administration; he has accordingly obtained 
their confidence, both as a private and a public man ; but 
in both these respects he is equally inaccessible to the 
spirit of party, which reigns but too much ai-ound him; 
whence it results, that he is anxiously courted by all par- 
ties, and that by espousing none, he manages them all. 

It was the Ifith of December that I quitted the excel- 
lent winter quarters I had with him, and turned my face 
towards the north, to seek after the traces of General 
Gates and General Burgoyne, amidst heajis of snow. T 
had sent forward my horses to Bristol, wliere T was con- 
veyed in a carriage which tlie Chevalier de la Luzerne was 
so kind as to lend me. By this means I ari-ived there in 
time enough to reach Prince-Town that night, but not be- 
fore it was dark, leaving behind me some of my servants 
and horses. 

The detail of my daily occupations liaving pi-even(ed me 
from giving a general idea of Phihideliiliia, I Tuust, on 
quitting it, take a retrospective view, and consider at once 
its present state and the destiny whicii seems to await it. 
In observing its geographical situation, we may readily 
admit that Penn proceeded upon no erroneous idea, when 
he conceived his plan of making it one day the capital of 
America. Two large rivers, which take their rise in the 



426 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

neighbourhood of Lake Ontario, convey to it the riches of 
all the interior parts of the country, and at length, by their 
junction considerably higher up, form a magnificent port 
at this city. This port is at once far enough from the sea 
to shelter it from every insult ; and so near, as to render it 
as easy of access as if situated on the shore of the ocean. 
The Schuylkill, which runs to the west of Philadelphia, 
and nearly parallel with the Delaware, is rather orna- 
mental than useful to this city and its commerce. This 
river, though wide and beautiful near its conflux, is not 
navigable for boats, on account of its shallow and rocky 
bed- Philadelphia, placed between these two rivers, on a 
neck of land only three miles broad, ought to fill up this 
space, but commerce has given it another turn. The regu- 
lar plan of William Penn has been followed, but tlie build- 
ings are along the Delaware, for the convenience of being 
near the warehouses and shipping. Front-street, which is 
parallel with the river, is near three miles long, out of 
which open upwards of two hundred quays, forming so 
many views terminated by vessels of different sizes. I 
could easily form an idea of the commerce of Philadelphia, 
from seeing above three hundred vessels in the harbour, 
though the English had not left a single bark in it in 1778. 
Two years of tranquillity, and above all, the diversion made 
by our squadron at Rhode Island, have sufficed to collect 
this great number of vessels, the success of which in pri- 
vateering, as well as in trade, have filled the warehouses 
with goods, insomuch that purchasers alone are wanting. 
The wisdom of the legislative council, however, has not 
corresponded with the advantages lavished by Nature. 
Pennsylvania is very far from being the best governed of 
the United States. Exposed, more than others, to the con- 
vulsions of credit, and to the manaeuvres of speculation, 
the instability of the public wealth has operated on the 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 427 

legislation itself. An attempt was made to fix the value 
of the paper currency, but commodities augmented in 
price, in proportion as money lost its value; a resolution 
was then taken to fix the price also of commodities which 
almost produced a famine. A more recent error of the 
government, was the law prohibiting the exportation of 
corn. The object they had in view, was on one hand to 
supply the American army at a cheaper rate, and on the 
other, to put a stop to the contraband trade between Phila- 
delphia and New York; the ruin of the farmers and the 
state was the result, w'hich could no longer obtain pay- 
ment of the taxes. This law is just repealed, so that I 
hope agriculture will resume its vigour, and commerce 
receive an increase. Corn sent to the army will be some- 
thing dearer, but there will be more money to pay for it ; 
and should there be some smuggling with New York, 
English money will circulate amongst their enemies. 

[After discussing at considerable length the economic 
situation, the traveler describes a return journey, planning 
to go back to Prince Town and from tltat place to Albany 
by New Winsdor. General Washington's headquarters. 
He, after some difficulty in making arrangements, started 
on the 17th, readied Baleuridge in the evening where the 
night was spent. The night of the 18th was spent at Court - 
heatles Tavern, lodging at which cost him sixteen dollars! 
Passing tbrongli a somewhat wild and sparsely settled 
district he finally, after a very interesting exp(>rience, came 
to Hern's Tavern where he supped and slejit.] 

T left it the 10th, as early as possible; having still 
twelve miles to New-Windsor, and intending to stay only 
one night. T was anxious to pass at least the greatest part 
of the day with General Washington. T met him two 
miles from New-Windsor; he was in his carriage with 
Mrs. Washington, going on a visit to Mrs. Knox, whose 



428 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

quarters were a mile farther on, near the artillery bar- 
racks. They wished to return with me, but I begged them 
to continue their way. The General gave me one of his 
Aides de Camp (Colonel Humphreys) to conduct me to 
his house, assured me that he should not be long in joining 
me, and he returned accordingly in half an hour. I saw 
him again with the same pleasure, but with a different 
sentiment from what he had inspired me with at our first 
interview. I felt that internal satisfaction, in which self- 
love has some share, but which we always experience in 
finding ourselves in an intimacy already formed, in real 
society with a man we have long admired without being 
able to approach him. It then seems as if this great man 
more peculiarly belongs to us than to the rest of mankind ; 
heretofore we desired to see him; henceforth, so to speak, 
we exhibit him; we know him, we are better acquainted 
^^■ith him than others, have the same advantage over them, 
that a man having read a book through, has in conversa- 
tion over him who is only at the beginning. 

The General insisted on my lodging with him. though 
his house was much less than he had at Prakness. Several 
oflScers, whom I had not seen at the army, came to dine 
with us. The principal of whom were Colonel Malcomb, 
a native of Scotland, but settled in America, where he has 
served with distinction in the continental army; he has 
since retired to his estate, and is now only a militia 
Colonel ; Colonel Smith, an officer highly spoken of, and 
who commands a battalion of light infantry under !M. de la 
Fayette; Colonel Humphreys, the General's Aide de Camp, 
and several others whose names I have forgot, but who 
had all the best ton, and the easiest deportment. The 
dinner was excellent, tea succeeded dinner, and conversa- 
tion succeetled tea, and lasted till supper. The ^^•ar was 
frequently the subject. On asking the General which of 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 429 

our professional books lie read with the most pleasure ; he 
told me, the King of Prussia's Instructions to his Generals, 
and the Tactics of M. de Guibert; from whence I concluded 
that he knew as well how to select his authors as to 
pi-otit by them. 

I should have been very happy to accept of his press- 
ing invitation to pass a few days with him, had I not made 
a solemn promise, at Philadelphia, to the V^icomte de 
Noailles, and his travelling companions, to arrive four- 
and-twenty hours after them if they stopped there, or at 
Albany if they went straight on. We were desirous of see- 
ing Stillwater and Saratoga, and it would have been no 
easy matter for us to have acquired a just knowledge of 
that country had we not been together, because we reck- 
oned upon General Schuyler, who could not be expected 
to make two journies to gratify our curiosity. I was thus 
far faithful to my engagement, for I arrived at New Wind- 
sor the same day that they left Cress Point; I hoped to 
overtake them at Albany, and General AVasbington finding 
he could not retain me, was pleased himself to conduct me 
in his barge to the other side of the river. We got on shore 
at Fish-Kill Landing Place, to gain the eastern road, jire- 
ferred by travellers to the western. I now quitted the 
General, but he insisted that Colonel Smith should accom- 
pany me as far as Poughkensie. The I'oad to this town 
passes pretty near Fish Kill, which we leave on the right, 
from thence we travel on the heights, where there is a 
beautiful and extensive prospect, and traversing a town- 
ship, called :\Iiddlebrook, arrive at the creek, and at Wap- 
ping Fall. There I halted a (ow minutes to consider, under 
different points of view, the charming landscape formed 
by this river, as well from its cascade, whicli is roaring 
and picturesque, as from the groups of trees and rocks, 



430 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

which, combined with a number of saw mills and furnaces, 
compose the most capricious and romantic prospect. 

It was only half past three when I got to Poughkeusie, 
where I intended sleeping; but finding that the sessions 
were then holding, and that all the taverns were full, I 
took advantage of the little remaining day to reach a 
tavern I was told of at three miles distance. Colonel 
Smith, who had business at Poughkensie remained there, 
and I was vei'y happy to find myself in the evening with 
nobody but my two Aides de Camp. It was, in fact, a new 
enjoyment for us to be left to ourselves, and at perfect 
liberty to give mutual accounts of the impression left on 
our minds by so many different objects. I only regretted 
not having seen Governor Clinton, for whom I had letters 
of recommendation. He is a man who governs with the 
utmost vigour and firmness, and is inexorable to the tories, 
whom he makes tremble, though they are very numerous; 
he has had the address to maintain in its duty this prov- 
ince, one extremity of which borders on Canada, the other 
on the city of New York. He was then at Poughkensie, 
but taken up with the business of the sessions; besides, 
Saratoga, and Burgoyne's different fields of battle, being 
hence forth the sole object of my journey, I was wishing 
to get forward for fear of being hindered by the snow, 
and of the roads becoming impassable. On my arrival at 
Pride's Tavern, I asked a number of questions of my land- 
lord, I'especting the appearance he thought there was of a 
continuance, or a change of weather, and perceiving that 
he was a good farmer, I interrogated him on the subject 
of agricultui'e, and drew the following details from him. 
The land is very fertile in Duchess County, of which 
Poughkensie is the capital, as well as in the State of New 
York, but it is commonly left fallow one year out of two 
or three, less from necessity than from there being more 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 431 

land than they can cultivate. A bushel of wheat at most 
is sown upon an acre, which renders twenty, and (ive-and- 
twenty for one. Some farmers sow oats on the hind that 
has borne wheat the preceding year, but this grain in gen- 
eral is reserved for lands newly turned up; flax is also a 
considerable object of cultivation ; the land is ploughed 
with horses, two or three to a plough ; sometimes even a 
greater number when on new laud, or that which has long 
lain fallow. 

[Setting out the next morning, much to his chagrin he 
was compelled to travel through the entire day in a storm 
of snow and sleet. Passing through the township of 
Strassburg, he eutered another district called Rhybeck. 
German names of places were noticeable. The keeper of 
Thomas's Inn referred in his conversation to Ai'nold, and 
averred that he had suggested a business venture to Arnold 
by which he might have repaired his fortunes and avoided 
the temptation to betray his country. He found the people 
of NeAV York generally of the opinion that Canada should 
be conquered and that this would be comparatively easy 
of accomplishment. Leaving Thomas's Inn on the 23rd 
he travelled for three hours in Livingston's Manor, passed 
by Claverack Meeting-house, and pursued the road to Al- 
bany. This took him through Kiuderhook in which Dutch 
region he observed the consei'vative character of the people, 
especially in the disinclination to improve their dwelling 
houses.] 

It was a difficult question to know where I should 
the next day pass the North river, for I was told that it 
was neither sufficiently broken to cross it on the ice, nor 
free enough from flakes to venture it in a boat. Apprized 
of these obstacles, I set out early on the 24th, that I might 
have time to discover the easiest passage. I was only 



432 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

twenty miles from Albany; so that after a continued jour- 
ney through a forest of fir trees, I arrived at one o'clock 
on the banks of the Hudson. The vale in which thus river 
runs, and the town of Albany, which is built in the form 
of an amphitheatre on its western bank, must have afford- 
ed a very agreeable coup d'aeil, had it not been disfigured 
by the snow. A handsome house half way up the bank 
opposite the ferry, seems to attract attention, and to in- 
vite sti'angers to stop at General Schuyler's, who is the 
proprietor as well as architect. I had recomendations to 
him from all quarters, but particularly from General 
Washington and Mrs. Carter. I liad besides given the 
rendezvous to Colonel Hamilton, who had just married 
atiother of his daughters, and was preceded by the Vicomte 
de Noailles, and the Comte de Damas, who I knew were 
arrived the night before. The sole difficulty therefore con- 
sisted in passiug the river. Whilst the boat was making 
its ^\ay with difficulty through the flakes of ice, which we 
were obliged to break as we advanced, Mr. Lynch, who is 
not indifferent about a good dinner, contemplating Gen- 
eral Schuyler's house, mournfully says to me, "I am sure 
the Vicomte and Damas are now at table, where they have 
good cheer, and good company, whilst we are here kicking 
our heels, in hopes of getting this evening to some wretched 
alehouse." I partook a little of his anxiety, but diverted 
myself by assuring him that they saw us from the windows, 
that I even distinguished the Vicomte de Noailles who was 
looking at us through a telescope, and that he was going to 
send somebody to conduct us on our landing to that excel- 
lent house, where we should find dinner ready to come on 
table; I even pretended that a sledge I had seen descend- 
ing towai-ds the river, was designed for us. As chance 
would have it, never was conjecture more just. The first 
person we saw on shore, was the Chevalier de Mauduit, 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 433 

who Avas waiting for us with the General's sledge, into 
which we quickly stepped, and were convej-ed in an instant 
into a handsome saloon, near a good tire, with Mr. Schuy- 
ler, his wife and daughters. Whilst we were warming 
ourselves, dinner was served, to which every one did hon- 
our, as well as to the ^ladeira, which was excellent, and 
made us completely forget the rigour of the season, and 
the fatigue of the journey. 

General Schuyler's family was composed of Mrs. Ham- 
ilton, his second daughter, who has a mild agreeable coun- 
tenance; of Miss Peggy Schuyler, whose features are ani- 
mated and striking; of another charming girl, only eight 
yeai-s old, and of three boys, the eldest of whom is fifteen, 
and are the handsomest children you can see. Ue is him- 
self about fifty, but already gouty and infirm. His fortune 
is very considerable, and it will become still more so, for 
he possesses an immense extent of territory, but derives 
more credit from his talents and information than from 
his wealth. He served with General Amherst in the Can- 
adian war, as Deputy Quarter-Master General. From that 
period he made himself known, and became distinguished ; 
he was very useful to the English, and was sent for to Lon- 
don after the peace, to settle the accounts of every thing 
furnished by the Americans. His marriage with Miss 
Ranseleer, the rich heiress of a family which lia.s given its 
najue to a district, or rather a whole province, still added 
to his credit and his influence; so that it is not surprising 
he should be raised to the rank of ^Major General at the 
beginning of the war, and have the coniinand of the troops 
on the frontiers of Ganada. It was in tiiis capacity, that 
he was commissioned in 1777 to oppose tlie progress of 
General Burgoyne; but having receive orders from Con- 
gress, directly contrary to his opinion, without being pro- 
vided with any means necessary for carrying tliem into 



434 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

execution, he found himself obliged to evacuate Ticonder- 
oga, and fall back on the Hudson. These measures, un- 
doubtedly prudent in themselves, being unfavourably con- 
strued in a moment of ill humour and anxiety, he was tried 
by a Court Martial, as well as General Sinclair, his second 
in command, and both of them were soon after honourably 
acquitted. Sinclair resumed his station in the army, but 
General Schuyler justly offended, demanded more satis- 
factory reparation, and reclaimed his rank, which since, 
this event, was contested Avith him by two or three Gen- 
erals of the same standing. This affair not being settled, 
he did not rejoin the army, but continued his services to 
his country. Elected a member of Congress the year fol- 
lowing, he was nearly chosen President in opposition to 
Mr. Laurens; since that time he has always enjoyed the 
confidence of the government, and of General Washington, 
who are at present paying their court to him, and pressing 
him to accept the office of Secretary of War. 

Whilst we were in this excellent asylum, the weather 
continued doubtful, between frost and thaw; there was a 
little snow upon the ground, and it was probable there 
soon would be a fall. The council of travellers assembled, 
and it appeared to them proper not to delay their depar- 
ture for Saratoga. General Schuyler offered us a house 
which he has upon his own estate; but he could not serve 
as a guide, on account of an indisposition, and his appre- 
hension of a fit of the gout. He proposed giving us an 
intelligent officer to conduct us to the different fields of 
battle, whilst his son should go before to prepare us lodg- 
ings. We could still travel on horseback, and were sup- 
plied with horses of the country to replace ours which were 
fatigued, and a part of which still remained on the other 
side of the river. All these arrangements being accepted, 
we were conveyed to Albany in a sledge. On our arrival. 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 435 

we waited on Brigadier General Clinton, to whom I de- 
livered my letters of recommendation. He is an honest 
man, but of no distinguished talents, and is only employed 
out of respect to his brother the Governor. He immediate- 
ly ordered the horses for our journey, and Major Popham, 
his Aide de Camp, an amiable and intelligent officer, was 
desired to conduct us. He was to take with him Jlajor 
Graeme, who knows properly the ground, and served in 
the army under General Gates. 

All our measures being well concerted, we each of us 
retired to our quarters; the Vicomte de Noailles and his 
two companions to an inn, kept by a Frenchman, called 
Louis, and I to that of an American of the name of Blen- 
nissens. At day-break, tea was ready, and the whole cara- 
van assembled at my quarters; but melted snow was fall- 
ing, which did not promise an. agreeable ride. We were 
in hopes that it was a real thaw, and set out upon our 
journey. The snow however fell thicker and thicker, and 
was six inches deep when we arrived at the junction of the 
Mohawk with the Hudson's river. Here is a choice of two 
roads to Saratoga ; one obliges you to pass the Hudson, to 
keep some time along the left bank, and pass it a second 
time near the Half-Moon; the other goes on the Mohawk 
river till you get above the Cataract, when you pass that 
river, and traverse the woods to Stillwater. Even had 
there been no difficulty in passing the Nortli river on ac- 
count of the ice. I sliould have preferred tlie other road, 
to see the cascade of Cohoes, which is one of the wonders 
of America. Before we left the Hudson, I remarked an 
island in the middle of its bed, which offers a very ad- 
vantageous position for erecting batteries, to defend the 
navigation. The two JIajors. to whom I communicated 
this observation, told me that this point of defence was 
neglected, because there was a better one, a little higher 



436 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

up, at the extremity of one of the three branches into 
which the Mohawk river divides itself, in falling into the 
Hudson. They added that this position was verj- slightly 
reconnoitred; that which was begun to be fortified higher 
up, being sufficient to stop the progress of the enemy. 
Thus the more you examine the country, the more you are 
convinced that the expedition of Burgoyne was extrava- 
gant, and must sooner or later have miscarried, independ- 
ent of the engagements which decided the event. 

The junction of the two rivers is six miles north of 
Albany, and after travelling two more in the woods, we 
began to hear a murmuring noise, which increased till we 
came in sight of Cohoes Fall. This cataract is the whole 
breadth of the river, that is to say, near two hundred toises, 
about 1200 English feet wide. It is a vast sheet of water, 
which falls 7(5 English feet. The river in this place is con- 
tracted between two steep banks formed by the declivity 
of the mountains ; these precipices are co^'ered by an earth 
as black as iron ore, and on which nothing grows but firs 
and cypresses. The course of the river is straight, both 
before and after its fall, and the rocks forming this cas- 
cade are nearly on a level, but their irregular figure breaks 
the water whilst it is falling, and forms a variety of whim- 
sical and picturesque appearances. This picture was ren- 
dered still more terrible by the snow which covered the 
firs, the brilliancy of which gave a black colour to the 
water, gliding gently along, and a yellow tinge to tliat 
which was dashing over the cataract. 

[The traveler then gives a somewhat detailed descrip- 
tion of his conversation with General Schuyler who read 
to him several communications of a military character 
that had passed between him and (xeneral AVashington 
bearing particularly upon a plan to invade Canada. Then 
follows a trip to Schenectady, "14 miles from Albany on 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 437 

the Mohawk river." The country surroundina; is described 
as very wild and reference is also made to the presence of 
the Indians. SpeaJiing of the five nations he says, "I do 
not believe that these five nations can produce four thou- 
sand men in arms." Returning to Albany, he accepte<l an 
invitation from General Schuyler to visit the battlefield of 
Saratoga. With this genial host he traversed the region 
in which Burgoyne was finally overwhelmed and expressed 
his admiration for the manner in which the Americans 
conducted the movements and rejoiced with them again ns 
in imagination he saw the English army under the haughty 
Burgoyne compelled to surrendcT". In passing he alluded 
to the burning of General Schuyler's house by the British 
which he says General Schuyler told him had been done 
"rather from malice than for the safety of Burgoyne's 
army; since this house, situated in a bottom, could afford 
no advantage to the Americans; and he left the barn stand- 
ing, which is at present the only asylum of the owner. It 
is here that Air. Schuyler lodged us in some temporni-y 
apartments he fitted up until happier times allow him to 
build another house.'' The reflection upon Burgoyne's 
honor, says the Translator, was refuted upon the floor of 
the House of Commons where Burgoyne claimed that 
Schuyler himself had told Iiini immediately after the bat- 
tle that this burning was mere incident of the struggle 
and could not be avoided. 

Taking leave of General Schuyler at Saratoga, the 
traveler turned his face toward the point of departure, 
Newport — and after considerable difficulty in crossing the 
river on account of the bre^aking up of the ice, be proceeded 
steadily toward that place. He passed through Kinder- 
hook and Nobletown and finally re<ached Sheffield. 

In the maintime the New Years had arrived and he 
was interested in the noisy and riotous manner in which it 



438 TRAVELS IN NORTH AJIERICA 

was celebrated bj the young people of the town in which 
he \Aas tarrying. After staying all night at an inn about 
fifteen miles from Hai'tford, he proceeded on horseback 
to that town where he arrived in the afternoon of January 
4th. He set out on the 5th for Lebanon wliich he reached at 
sunset. Six miles beyond was the Duke de Lauzern with 
the French Hussars who formed the advance guard of the 
French army distant seventy-five miles from Newport. 
After having a very pleasant experience in squirrel hunt- 
ing, he set out from Lebanon on the 7th, arrived at Provi- 
dence on the 8th, and reached Newport once more on the 
9th ; "satisfied with having seen many interesting things, 
witliout meeting with an accident ; but with a sorrowful 
reflection that the place I arrived at, was still fifteen 
hundred leagues from that where I had left my friend?,."] 

CHASTELLUX TRAVELS 
VOLUME II 
[Early in the spring of 1782 after the establishment of 
definite quarters by the French in Virginia, a purpose 
cherished for months by Chastellux to visit the upper parts 
of that province was carried out. He set out on the 8th 
of April accompanied by his Aide de Camp, Mr. Lynch, 
Frank Dillon, his second aid M. le Chevalier d'Oyre of the 
engineers and six servants. The spring was late and they 
travelled leisurely. Starting from Williamsburg they 
went first to New Kent Court House. Six miles from Wil- 
liamsburg he passed the crossroads where in the previous 
June La Fayette had signally defeated a detachment of 
the British army. During the evening in the pleasant inn 
after an excellent sturgeon dinner, he thoroughly enjoyed 
the recollection of this happy event which had presaged 
the wonderful victory at Yorktown.] 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 439 

The next mornlug I had an enjoyment of another kind. 
I rose with the sun, and whilst breakfast was preparing, 
took a walk around the house; the bii*ds were heard on 
every side, but my attention was chiefly attracted by a 
very agreeable song, which appeared to proceed from a 
neighbouring tree. T approached softly, and perceived it 
to be a mocking bird, saluting the rising sun. At first I 
was afraid of frightening it, bnt my presence on the con- 
trary gave it pleasure ; for apparently delighted at having 
an auditor, it sung better than before, and its emulation 
seemed to increase, when it perceived a couple of dogs, 
which followed me, drew near to the tree on which it was 
perchetl. It kept hopping incessantly from branch to 
branch, still continuing its song, for this extraordinary 
bird is not less remarkable for its agility, than its charm- 
ing notes; it keeps perpetually rising and sinking, so as to 
appear not less the favourite of Terpsichore, than Polihym- 
nia. This bird cannot certainly he reproached with fatigu- 
ing its auditors, for nothing can be more varied than its 
song, of which it is impossible to give an imitation, or even 
to furnish an adequate idea. As it had every reason to 
be contented with my attention, it concealed from me no 
one of its talents ; and one would have thought, that after 
having delighted me T\ath a concert, it was desirous of 
entertaining me with a comedy. It began to counterfeit 
different birds ; those which it imitated the most naturally, 
at least to a stranger, were the jay, the raven, the cardinal, 
and the lapwing. It appeared desirous of retaining me 
near it, for after having listened for a quarter of an hour, 
on my return to the house, it followed me, flying from tree 
to tree, always singing, sometimes its natural song, at 
others, those which it had learned in "Virginia, and in its 
travels ; for this bird is one of those which change climate, 
altho' it sometimes appears here during the winter. 



440 TRAVELS IN NOETH AMERICA 

[Continuing tlieir journey they reached Newcastle, 
then direct to Hanover Court House. Tlie traveler was 
much impressed with the beauty of the country. There 
were many traces here in Hanover County of the former 
presence of the British. Their landlord, IMr. Tilghman at 
Hanover Court House still lamented the experience he had 
with Cornwallis whom he had boarded and lodged but with- 
out any recompense.] 

Mr. Tilghman having had time to renew his provisions 
since the retreat of Lord Cornwallis, we supped very well, 
and had the company of Mr. Lee, brother to Colonel Henry 
Lee; who long commanded a legion, and often distin- 
guished himself, particularly in Carolina. We sat out at 
nine the next morning, after having breakfasted much 
better than our horses, which had nothing but oats, the 
country being so destitute of forage, that it was not pos- 
sible to find a tniss of hay, or a few leaves of Indian corn, 
though we had sought for it for two miles round. Three 
miles and a half from Hanover we crossed the South Anna 
on a wooden bridge. I observed that the river was deeply 
embanked, and from the nature of the soil concluded it 
was the same during a great part of its course; it api>ears 
to me therefore that would have been a good defence, if 
Monsieur de la Fayette, who passed it higher up, liad 
arrived in time to destroy the bridge. On the left side of 
the river the ground rises, and you mount a pretty high 
hill, the country is barren, and we travelled almost always 
in the woods, till one o'clock, when we arrived at Offly, and 
alighted at General Nelson's, formerly Governor of Vir- 
ginia. I had got acquainted with him during the expedi- 
tion of York, at which critical moment he was Governor, 
and conducted himself with the courage of a brave soldier, 
and the zeal of a good citizen. At the time when the Eng- 
lish armies were carrying desolation into the heart of his 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 441 

country, and our troops arrived unexpectedly to succour 
and revenge it, he was compelled to exert every means, and 
to call forth every possible resource, to assist Monsieur de 
la Fayette to make some resistance; and furnish General 
Washington with horses, carriages, and provisions; but I 
am sorry to add, what will do but little honour to Virginia, 
that the only recompence of bis labours was the hatred of 
a great part of his fellow citizens. At the first assembly 
of the province, held after the campaign, lie experienced 
from them neither the satisfaction he had a right to expect, 
at being freed from servitude, nor that emulation which is 
the general consequence of success; but instead of those 
sentiments, so natural in such circumstances, a general 
discontent arising from the necessity under which he had 
often laboured, of pressing their horses, carriages and 
forage. Those laws and customs which would have ceased 
to exist by the conquest of the province, were put in force 
against its defender, and General Nelson, worTi out at 
lengh by fatigues of the campaign, but still more by 
the ingratitude of his fellow citizens, resigned the place 
of Governor, which he had held for six months, but not 
without enjoying the satisfaction of justifying his conduct. 
and of seeing his countrymen pardon the momentary in- 
juries he had done their laws, by endeavoring to save the 
state. If to the character I have just given of General 
Nelson, I should add, that he is a good and gallant man, in 
every possible situation of life, and has ever behaved with 
the utmost politeness to the French, you will be surprised 
that I should go to visit him in his absence, like ^Mathwin 
in the comedy of Rofe and Colas; for though T knew he 
was not at home, as I had met him near Williamsburgh, 
where he was detained by public business, the visit I in- 
tended to pay him formed a part of my journey I under- 
took — besides that I was desirous of seeing his family. 



442 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

particularly his younger brother, Mr. William Nelson, with 
whom I was intimately connected at Williamsburgh, where 
he passed the greatest part of the winter. Offly is far 
from corresponding with the riches of General Nelson, or 
with his high consideration in Virginia; it is but a moder- 
ate plantation, where he had contented himself with erect- 
ing such buildings as are necessary for the improvement 
of his lands, and for the habitation of his overseers; his 
general residence is at York, but that he was obliged to 
abandon; and Offly being beyond the South Anna, and 
situated far back in the country, he thought that his lonely 
house would be at least a safe retreat for his family; it 
was not secure however from the visits of Lord Cornwall is, 
who, in his peregrinations thro' Virginia, advanced even 
so far, though without doing much mischief. In the ab- 
sence of the General, his mother and wife received us with 
all the politeness, ease, and cordiality natural to his fam- 
ily. But as in America the ladies are never thought suf- 
ficient to do the honours of the house, five or six Nelsons 
were assembled to receive us; amongst others, the Secre- 
tary Nelson, uncle to the General, with his two sons, and 
two of the General's brothers. These young men were all 
married, and several of them were accompanied by their 
wives and children, all called Nelson, and distinguished 
only by their Christian names, so that during the two days 
which I passed in this truly patriarchal house, it was im- 
possible for me to find out their degrees of relationship. 
When I say that we passed two days in this house, it may 
be understood in the most literal sense, for the weather 
was so bad, there was no possibility of stirring out. The 
house being neither convenient nor spacious, company as- 
sembled either in the parlour or saloon, especially the men, 
from the hour of breakfast, to that of bed-time, but the 
conversation was always agreeable and well supported. 



PERFOEMED BY M. Db CHASTELLUX 443 

If you were desirous of diversifying the scene, there were 
some good French and English authors at hand. An ex- 
cellent breakfast at nine in the morning, a sumptuous din- 
ner at two o'clock, tea and punch in tlie afternoon, and an 
elegant little supper, divided the day most liappily, for 
those whose stomachs were never unprepared. It is worth 
observing, that on tliis occasion, where fifteen or twenty 
people (four of whom were strangers to the family or 
counti'y) were assembled together, and by bad weather 
forced to stay within doors, not a syllable was mentioned 
about play. How many parties of trictrac, whist, and lotto 
would with us have been the consequence of such obstinate 
bad weather? Perhaps too, some more rational amuse- 
ments might have varied the scene agreeably ; but in Amer- 
ica music, dra\^ing, public reading, and the work of the 
ladies, are resources as yet unknown, though it is to be 
hoped they will not long neglect to cultivate them ; for 
nothing but study was wanting to a young Miss ToUiver 
who sung some airs, tlie words of which were English, and 
the music Italian. Her charming voice, and the artless 
simplicity of her singing, were a substitute for taste, if 
not taste itself; that natural taste, always sure, when con- 
fined within just limits, and when timid in its weakness, it 
has not been altered, or spoiled by false precepts and bad 
examples. 

Miss Tolliver had attended her sister, Mrs. William 
Nelson, to Offlj*, who was ill, and kept her bed. She was 
brought up in the middle of the woods by her father, a 
great fox-hunter, consequently could have learned to sing 
from the birds only, in the neighbourhood, when the howl- 
ing of the dogs permitted her to hear them. She is an 
agreeable figure, as well as Mrs. Nelson her sister, tho" 
less pi-etty than a third daughter, who remained with her 
father. These voung ladies came often to Williamsburgh 



444 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

to attend the balls, where they appeared as well dressed as 
the ladies of the towu, and always remarkable for their 
decency of behaviour. The young military gentlemen, on 
the other hand, had conceived a great aifection for Mr. 
ToUiver their father, and took the trouble sometimes to 
ride over to breakfast and talk with him of the chace. The 
young ladies, who appeared from time to time, never in- 
terrupted the conversation. These pretty nymphs more 
timid and wild than those of Diana, though they did not 
conduct the chace, inspired the taste for it into tlie youth ; 
they knew however how to defend themselves from fox- 
hunters, withovit destroying, by their arrows, those who 
had the presumption to look at them. 

After this little digression, which required some in- 
dulgence, I should be at a loss for a transition to an old 
magistrate, whose white locks, noble figure, and stature, 
which was above the common size, commanded respect and 
veneration. Secretary Nelson, to whom this character 
belongs, owes this title to the place he occupied under the 
English (joverument. In Virginia the Secretary, whose 
office it was to preserve the registers of all public acts, 
was, by his place, a member of the council, of which the 
Governor was the chief. Mr. Nelson, who held this office 
for thirty year, saw the morning of that bright day which 
began to shine upon his country; he saw too the storms 
arise which threatened its destruction, though he neither 
endeavoured to collect, or to torment them. 

Too far advanced in age to desire a revolution, too 
prudent to check this great event, if necessary, and too 
faithful to his countrymen to separate his interest from 
theirs, he chose the crisis of this alternation to retire from 
public affairs. Thus did he opportunely quit the theatre, 
when new pieces demanded fresh actors, and took his seat 
among the spectators, content to offer up his wishes for 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 445 

the success of the Drama, aud to applaud those who acted 
well theii" part. But in the last campaign, chance pro- 
duced him on the scene, and made him unfortunately fam- 
ous. He lived at York, where he had built a very hand- 
some house, from which neither European taste nor luxury 
was excluded; a chimney-piece and some bass reliefs of 
very fine marble, exquisitely sculpured, were particularly 
admired, when fate conducted Lord Cornwallis to this 
town to be disarmed, as well as his till then victorious 
troops. Secretary Nelson did not think it necessary to 
lly from the English, to whom his conduct could not have 
made him disagreeable, nor have furnished any just mo- 
tive of suspicion. He was well received by the General, 
who established his head-quarters in his house, which was 
built on an eminence, near the most important fortifica- 
tions, and in the most agreeable situation of the town. It 
was the fii'st object which struck the sight as you approach- 
ed the town, but instead of travellers, it soon drew the 
attention of our l)ombardiers and cannoniers, and was al- 
most entirely destroyed. Mr. Nelson lived in it at the 
time our batteries tried their first shot, and killed one of 
his negroes at a little distance from him ; so that Lord 
Cornwallis was soon obliged to seek another asylum. But 
what asylum could be found for an old man, deprived of 
the use of his legs by the gout? But, above all, what 
asylum could defend him against tlie cruel anguish a 
father must feel at being besieged by liis own children; 
for he had two in the American army. So that every shot, 
whether fired from the town, or from the trenches, might 
prove equally fatal to him; I was witness of the cruel 
anxiety of one of these young men, wlien after the flag 
was sent to demand his fatiier, he kept liis eyes fixed u])on 
the gate of the town, by whidi it was to conu' out, and 
seemed to expect his own sentence in the auswer. Loi-d 



446 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Cornwallis had too much humanity to refuse a request so 
just, nor can I recollect, without emotion, the moment in 
which I saw this old gentleman alight at General Wash- 
ington's. He was seated, the fit of the gout not having yet 
left him; and whUst we stood around him, he related to 
us, with a serene countenance, what had been the effect 
of our batteries, and how much his house had suffered 
from the first shot. 

The tranquillity which has succeeded these unhappy 
times, by giving him leisure to reflect upon his losses, has 
not embittered the recollection ; he lives happily in one of 
his plantations, where, in less than sis hours, he can as- 
semble thirty of his children, grand children, nephews, 
nieces, etc., amounting in all to seventy, the whole inhabit- 
ing Virginia. The rapid increase of his own family justi- 
fies what he told me of the population in general, of which, 
from the offices he had held all his life, he must have it in 
his power to form a very accurate judgment. In 1742 the 
people subject to pay taxes in the State of Virginia, that 
is to say, the white males above sixteen, and the male and 
female blacks of the same age, amounted only to the num 
ber of 63,000 ; by his account they now exceed 160,000. 

After passing two days very agreeably with this inter- 
esting family, we left them the 12th at ten in the morning, 
accompanied by the Secretary, and five or six other Nel- 
sons, who conducted us to Little River Bridge, a small 
creek on the road about five miles from Offly. There we 
separated, and having rode about eleven miles further 
thi'ough woods, and over a barren country, we arrived at 
one o'clock at Willis's inn or ordinary ; for the inns which 
in the other provinces of America are known by the name 
of taveims, or public-houses, are in Virginia called ordin- 
aries. This consisted of a little house placed in a solitary 
situation in the middle of the woods, notwithstanding 



PERFORMED BY M. Db3 CHASTELLUX 447 

which we there found a great deal of company. As soon as 
I alighted, I enquired what might be the reason of this 
numerous assembly, and was informed it was a cock-match 
This diversion is much in fashion in Virginia, where the 
English customs are more prevalent than in the rest of 
America. When the principal promoters of this diversion, 
propose to match tlieir champions, they take great care to 
announce it to the public ; and although there are neither 
posts, nor regular conveyances, this important news 
spreads with such facility, that the planters for thirty or 
forty miles round, attend, some with cocks, but all with 
money for betting, which is sometimes very considerable. 
They are obliged to bring their own provisions, as so many 
people with good appetites could not possibly be supplied 
with them at the inn. As for lodgings, one large room for 
the whole company, with a blanket for each individual, is 
sufficient for such hearty countrymen, who are not more 
delicate about the conveniences of life, than the choice of 
their amusements. 

Whilst our horses were feeding, we had an opportunity 
of seeing a battle. The preparation took up a great deal 
of time; they arm their cocks with long steel spurs, very 
sharp, and cut off a part of their feathers, as if they meant 
to deprive them of their armour. The stakes were very 
considerable; the money of the parties was deposited in 
the hands of one of the principal persons, and I felt a 
secret pleasure in observing that it was chiefly French. I 
know not which is the most astonishing, the insipidity of 
such diversion, or the stupid interest with which it ani- 
mates the parties. This passion appears almost innate 
amongst the English, for the Virginians are yet English 
in many respects. Whilst the interested parties animated 
the cocks to battle, a child of fifteen, who was near me. 



448 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

kept leaping for joy, and crying, Oh ! it is a cliarming diver- 
sion. 

We had yet seven or eight and twenty miles to ride, to 
the only inn where it was possible to stop, before we reach- 
ed Mr. Jefferson's; for Mr. de Rochambeau, who had 
travelled the same road but two months before, cautioned 
me against sleeping at Louisa Court-house, as the worst 
lodging he had found in all America. This public-house 
is sixteen miles from Willis's ordinary. As he had given 
me not only a vei*y forcible description of the house, but of 
the landlord, I had a curiosity to judge of it by my own 
experience. Under the pretence of enquiring for the road, 
therefore, I went in, and observed, that there was no other 
lodging for travellers than the apartment of the land- 
lord. This man, called Johnson, is become so monstrously 
fat, that he cannot move out his arm-chair. He is a good- 
humoured fellow, whose manners are not very rigid, who 
loves good cheer, and all sorts of pleasure, insomucli that 
at the age of fifty he has so augmented his bulk, and dimin- 
ished his fortune, that by two opposite principles he is 
near seeing the termination of both ; but all this does not in 
the least affect his gaiety. I found him contented in his 
arm-chair, wliich serves him for a bed; for it would be 
difficult for him to lie down, and impossible to rise. A 
stool supported his enormous legs, in which were large 
fissures on each side, a prelude to what must soon happen 
to his stomach. A large ham and a bowl of grog served 
him for company, like a man resolved to die surrounded 
by his friends. He called to my mind, in short, the coun- 
try spoken of by Rabelais, where the men order their stom- 
achs to be hooped to prolong their lives, and especially the 
Abbe, who having exhausted every possible resource, re- 
solved to finish his days by a great feast, and invited all 
the neighbourhood to his bursting. 



PEEFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 449 

The niglit was already closed in, when we arrived at 
the house of Colonel Boswell, a tall, stout Scotchman, 
about sixty years of age, and who had been about forty 
years settled in America, where, under the English govern- 
ment, he was a Colonel of militia. Although he kept a 
kind of tavern, he api^eared luit little prepared to receive 
strangers. It was already late indeed, besides that this 
road, which leads only to the mountains, is little frequent- 
ed. He was quietly seated near the fire, by the side of his 
wife, as old, and almost as tall as himself, whom he dis- 
tinguished by the epithet of ''honey,'' which in French 
corresponds with mon petit coeur. These honest people 
received us cheerfully, and soon called up their sei'vants, 
who were already gone to bed. Whilst they were prepar- 
ing supper, we often heard them call Rose, Rose, which at 
length brought to view the most hideous negress I ever 
beheld. Our supiier was rather scanty, but our breakfast 
the next morning better; we had ham, l»utter, fresh eggs, 
and coffee by way of drink; for the whiskey or corn-spirits 
we had in the evening, mixt with water, was very liad ; 
besides that we were perfectly reconciled to the American 
custom of drinking coffee with meat, vegetable, or other 
food. 

We set out the next morning at eight o'clock, having 
learned nothing in this house worthy of remark, exci»])t 
that notwithstanding the hale and robust appearance of 
Mr. and Mrs. Boswell, not one of fourteen of their children 
had attained the age of ten years. We were now approach- 
ing a chain of mountains, of considerable height, called the 
South-west mountains, because they were the first you 
meet in travelling westward, before you arrive at the chain 
known in France by the name of the Apalacliians, and in 
Virginia by that of the Blue Ridge, North Ridge, and 
Alleghany mountains. As the country was much covered 

29 



450 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

with woods, we had a view of them hut very seldom ; and 
travelled a long time without seeing any hahitation, at 
times greatly perplexed to choose among the dilTerent 
roads, which crossed each other. At last we overtook a 
traveller who preceded us, and served not only as a guide, 
but by his company helped to abridge our journey. He 
was an Irishman, who though but lately arrived in Amer- 
ica, had made several campaigns, and received a consider- 
able wound in his thigh by a musquet ball ; which, though 
it could never be extracted, had not in the least affected 
either his health or gaiety. He related his military ex- 
ploits, and we enquired immediately about the country 
which he then inhabited. He acquainted us that he was 
settled in North Carolina, upwards of eighty miles from 
Catawbaw, and Avere then 300 from the sea. These new 
establishments are so much the more interesting, as by 
their distance from all commerce agriculture is their 
sole resource; I mean that patriarchal agriculture, 
which consists in producing only what is sufficient for 
their own consumption, without the hope of either sale or 
barter. These Colonies therefore must necessarily be ren- 
dered equal to all their wants. It is easy to conceive that 
there is soon no deficiency of food, but it is also necessary 
that their flocks and their fields should furnish them witli 
clothing; they must manufacture their own aaooI, and fiax, 
into clothes, and linen, they must prepare the hides to 
make shoes of them, etc., etc., as to drink, they are obliged 
to content themselves with milk and water, until their 
apple-trees are large enough to bear fruit, or until they 
have been able to procure themselves stills, to distil their 
grain. In these troublesome times we should scarcely 
imagine in Europe, that nails are the articles the most 
wanted in these new colonies ; for the axe and the saw can 
supply every other want. They contrive however to erect 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX iSl 

huts, and couslrnct roofs without nails, but tlie woric is by 
this means rendered much more tedious, and iu sueh cir- 
cumstances every body knows the value of time and labour 
It was a natural question to ask such a cultivator what 
could bring him four hundred miles fi'om home, and we 
learned from him that he carried on the trade of horse- 
selling, the only commerce of which his country was sus- 
ceptible, and by ^\ilich people in the most easy circum- 
stances endeavoured to augment their fortunes. In fact, 
these animals multiply very fast in a country where there 
is abundant pasture, and as they ai'e conducted without 
any expence, by grazing on the road, they become the most 
commodious article of exportation, for a country so far 
from any road or commerce. The conservation continued 
and brought us insensibly to the foot of the mountains. 
On the sunnnit of one of them we discovered the house of 
5Ir. Jefferson, which stands pre-eminent in these retire- 
ments; it was himself who built it and lU'cferred this situa- 
tion; for although he possessed considerable projierty in 
the neighbourhood, there was nothing to ju'event him fi-om 
fixing his residence wherever he tiiought proper. Rut it 
was a debt Nature owed to a philosopher and a man of 
taste, that in his own possessions he should find a spot, 
where he might best study and enjoy lier. lie calls his 
house ^[outicello ( iu Italian, l-iltie .Mounlaiul a. very 
modest title, for it is situated upon a very lofty one, but 
which announces the owner's altachmeut of the language 
of Italy; and above all to the fine arts, of wliicli that coun- 
try was a cradle, and is still the asylum. As I had no 
farther occasion for a guide, I separated from the Irish- 
man; and after ascending by a t(derably commodious road, 
for more than half an liour we arrived at !MonticeIlo. 
This house of which .Mr, -lelfei-son was the architect, and 
often one of the workmen, is rather elegant, and in the 



452 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Italian taste, though not without fault; it consists of one 
large square pavilion, the entrance of which is by two 
porticoes, ornamented with pillars. The ground Moor con- 
sists chietiy of a very large lofty saloon, which is to be 
decorated entirely in the antique style; above it is a library 
of the same form, two small wings, with only a ground 
floor, and attic story, are joined to this pavilion, and com- 
municate with the kitchen, offices, etc., which will form a 
kind of basement story over which runs a terrace. My ob- 
ject in this short description is only to show the difference 
between this, and the other houses of the country ; for we 
may safely aver, that Mr. Jefferson is the first American 
who has consulted the fine arts to know how he should 
shelter himself from the weather. But it is on himself 
alone I ought to bestow my time. Let me describe to you 
a man, not j et forty, tall, and with a mild and pleasing 
countenance, but whose mind and understanding are ample 
substitutes for every grace. An American, who without 
ever having quitted his own country, is at once a musician, 
skilled in drawing; a geometrician, an astronomer, a na- 
tural philosopher, legislator, and statesman. A senator 
of America, who sat for two years in that famous Con- 
gress which brought about the revolution ; and which is 
never mentioned without respect, though unhappily not 
without regret; a governor of Virginia, who filled this 
difficult station during the invasions of Arnold, of Philips, 
and of Cornwallis ; a philosoijher, in voluntary retirement, 
from the world, and public busines, because he loves the 
world, inasmuch only as he can flatter himself with being 
useful to mankind; and the mind of his countrymen are 
not yet in a condition either to bear the light, or to suffer 
contradiction. A mild and amiable wife, charming chil- 
dren, of whose education he himself takes charge, a house 
to embellish, great provisions to improve, and the arts and 



PERFORMED BY M. De GHASTELLUX 453 

sciences to cultivate ; these are what remain to Mr. Jeffer- 
son, after having played a principal character on the thea- 
tre of the new world, and which he preferred to tlie hon- 
oiiral}Ie commission of Minister Plenipotentiary in Eur- 
ope.* The visit I made him was not unexpected, for he 
had long since invited me to come and pass a few days with 
him, in the center of the mountains; notwithstanding 
which I found his first appearance serious, nay even cold; 
but before 1 had been two hours with him we were as inti- 
mate as if we had passed our whole lives together ; walk- 
ing, books, but aliove all, a couversation always varied and 
interesting, always suppoi-ted by that sweet satisfaction 
experienced by two persons who in communicating their 
sentiments and opinions, are invaribly in unison, and 
who understand each otlier at the first hint, made four 
days pass away like so many minutes. 

This conformity of sentiments and opinions on which 
I insist, because it constitutes my own eulogium (and self- 
love must somewhere shew itself) this conformity, T say, 
was so perfect, that not only our taste was similar, l)ut our 
predilections also, those partialities which cold methodirnl 
minds ridicule as enthusiastic, whilst sensible and ani- 
mated ones cherish and adopt the glorious appellation. 1 
recollect with pleasure that as we were conversing one 
evening over a bowl of punch, after Mrs. Jefferson had 
retired, our conversation turned on the poems of Ossian. 
It was a .spark of electricity which passed rapidly from 
one to the other; we recollected the passages in Ihose suli- 
lime poems, which particularly struck us, and entertained 
my fellow travellers, who fortunately knew English well, 

«Mr. .Tpffersnn. h.nvlns: .sinro hail the mlsfnrUine to Inap his wife, has at last 
yielded tn the intreaties n( his muntry, and aoccptod the place of Minister Plenlno- 
tentiarv at the court of France, and is now at Paris. It is necessary to olwervc that 
Mr .Teffcrson. who justlv st.ands in the hichest situation tn America, was one of the 
five Ministers Plenipotentiary for cncUidinc a pe.ice in Europe, named Iiy Concress full 
two years before it took place; Messrs, Tranklin, Adams, Laurens, and Jay were the 
other four. — Translator. 



454 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

and were qualified to judge of their merit, though they 
had never read the poems. In our enthusiasm the book 
was sent for, and placed near the bowl, where, by tlieir 
mutual aid, the night far advanced imperceptibly upon us. 
Sometimes natural philosophy, at others politicks or the 
arts were the topicks of our conversation, for no object 
had escaped Mr. Jefferson; and it seemed as if from his 
youth he had placed his mind, as he has done his house, 
on an elevated situation, from which he might i-ontem- 
plate the universe. 

The only stranger who visited us during our stay at 
Monticello, was Colonel Armand, whom I have mentioned 
in my first Journal ; he had been in Prance the preceeding 
year with Colonel Laurens, but returned soon enough to 
be present at the siege of York, where he marched as a 
volunteer at the attack of the redoubts. His object in 
going to France, was to ]>urchase clothing and accountre- 
nients complete for a regiment he had already commanded, 
but which had been so roughly handled in the campaigns 
to the southward, that it was necessary to form it anew ; 
he made the advance of the necessaries to Congress, who 
engaged to provide men and horses. Charlotteville, a lis- 
ing little town situated in a valley two leagues from Mon- 
ticello, being the quarter assigned for assembling this 
legion, Colonel Armand invited me to dine with him the 
next day, where ^Ir. Jefferson and T went, and found the 
legion under arms. It is to be composed of 200 horses and 
150 foot. The horse was almost complete and very well 
mounted; tlie infantry was still feeble, but the whole were 
well clothed, well ai'med, and made a very good appear- 
ance. We dined with Colonel Armand, all the officers of 
his regiment, and a wolf he ainuses himself in bringing up, 
which is now ten months old, and is as familiar, mild, and 
gay as a young dog; he never quits his master, and has 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 455 

coustautly the privilege of sharing his bed. It is to be 
wished that lie may always answer so good an education, 
and not resume liis natural character as he advances to 
maturity. He is not (luite of the same kind with ours, 
his skin is almost black, and very glossy; he has nothing 
fierce about the head, so that were it not for his upright 
ears, and pendent tail, one might readily take him for a 
dog. Perhaps he owes tlie singular advantage of not ex- 
haling a bad smell, to the care wliich is taken of his toilet ; 
for I rmearked that the dogs were not in the least afraid 
of him, and tiiat when they crossed his trace, they paid no 
attention to it. But it appears improbably, that all the 
neatness in the world can deceive the instinct of those 
animals, which have siich a dread of wolves, that they 
have been observed, in the King's garden at Paris, to raise 
their coats and howl at the smell only of two mongrels, 
engendered l)y a dog and a she-wolf. T am inclined there- 
fore to believe, that this peculiarity belongs to the species 
of black wolf, for they have our species also in America; 
and in Europe we may possibly have the black kind, for 
so it may be conjectured at least from the old provei'b: 
"He is as much afraid of me as of a grey wolf," Avhich im- 
plies that there are also black ones. 

Since I am on the subject of animals, I shall meniton 
here some observations which Mr. Jefferson enabled me to 
make upon the wild beasts which are common in this coun- 
try. I have been a long time in doubt whether to call them 
roebucks, stag's, or deer, for in Canada they are known I)y 
the first name, in the eastern provinces by the second, and 
in the southein by the third. Besides, in American, their 
nomenclatui-es ai-e so inaccurate, and their observations 
so slight, that no information can be acquired by examin- 
ing the people of the country. Mr. Jefferson amused him- 
self bv raising a score of these animals in his park; they 



456 TRAA^ELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

are become very familiar, which happens to all the animals 
of America; for they are in general much easier to tame 
than those of Europe. He amuses himself by feeding them 
with Indian corn, of which they are very fond, and which 
they eat out of his hand. I followed him one evening into a 
deep valley, where they are accustomed to assemble to- 
wards the close of the day, and saw them walk, run, and 
bound ; but the more I exaiained their paces, the less I was 
inclined to annex them to any particular species in Eu- 
rope ; they are absolutely of the same colour as the roebuck, 
and never change even when tliey are tamed, wliich often 
happens to the deer. Their horns, which are never more 
than a foot and a half long, and have more than four 
branches on each side, are more open and broader than 
those of the roebuck; they take an oblique direction in 
front; their tails are from eight to ten inches long, and 
when they leap they carry them almost vertical like the 
deer; resembling those animals not only in their propor- 
tions, but in the form of their heads, wliich are longer and 
less frizzled than those of the roebuck. They differ also 
from that species, as they are never found in pairs. From 
my own observations, in short, and from all I liave been 
able to collect on the subject, I am convinced that this 
kind is peculiar to America, and that it may be considered 
something between the deer and roebuck. Mr. Jefferson 
being no sportsman, and not having crossed the seas, could 
have no decided opinion on this part of natural history; 
but he has not neglected the other branches. I saw with 
pleasure that he had applied himself particularly to meter- 
ological observation, which, in fact, of all the bi'anches of 
philosophy, is the most proper for the Americans to culti- 
vate, from the extent of their country, and the variety 
of their situations, which give them in this point a great 
advantage over us, who in other respects have so many over 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 457 

tliem. Mr. Jefferson has made, with Mr. Maddison, a well 
iuformed professor of mathematics, some correspondent 
observations on the reigning winds at Williamsburgh, and 
Monticello; and although these two places are at the dis- 
tance only of fifty leagues, and not separated by any chain 
of mountains, the difference of their results was, that for 
127 observations on the N. E. wind at Williamsburgli, 
there were only 32 at Monticello, where the N. W. wind 
in general supplies the place of the N. E. This latter ap- 
pears to be a sea-wind, easily counteracted by the slightest 
obstacle, insomuch that twenty years since it was scarcely 
ever felt beyond West-Point; that is to say beyond the 
conflux of the Pawmunkey and the ISIatapony, which unite 
and form York river, near thirty-five miles from its mouth. 
Since the progress of population and agriculture has con- 
siderably cleared the woods, it penetrates so far as Rich- 
mond, which is thirty miles further. It may hence be ob- 
served, first, that the winds vary infinitely in their oldi- 
quity, and in the height of their region, secondly, that 
nothing is more essential than the manner in which we 
proceed in the clearing of a country, for the salubrity of 
the air, nay even the order of tlie seasons, may depend on 
the access which we allow the winds, and the direction we 
may give them. It is a generally received opinion at Rome, 
that the air is less healthy since the selling of a large for- 
rest situated between that city and Ostia, which defended 
it from the winds known in Italy by the names of the 
Scirocco and Libico. It is believed in Spain also, that the 
excessive droughts, of which the Castilians complain more 
and more, are occassioned by the cutting down of the 
woods, which used to attract and break the clouds in their 
passage. There is yet a very important consideration up- 
on which I thought it my duty to fix the attention of the 
learned in this countrv, whatever diffidence I may have of 



45S TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

my own knowledge in philosophy, as well as on every other 
subject. The greatest part of Virginia is very low and flat, 
and so divided by creeks and great rivers, that it appears 
absolutely redeemed from the sea, and an entire new crea- 
tion ; it is consequently very swampy, and can be dried 
only by the cutting down a great quantity of wood; but 
as on the other hand it can never be so drained as not still 
to abound with luephitical exhalations; and of whatever 
nature these exhalations may be, whether jiartaking of 
fixed or inflammable air, it is certain that vegetation ab- 
sorbs them equally, and that trees are the most proper to 
accomplish this object. It appears equally dangerous 
either to cut down or to preserve a great quantity of wood ; 
so that the best manner of proceeding to clear the coun- 
try, would be to disperse the settlements as much as pos- 
sible, and to leave some groves of trees standing between 
them. In this manner the ground inhabited would be al- 
ways healthy; and as there yet remain considerable 
marshes Avhich they cannot drain, there is no risk of ad- 
mitting the winds too easily, as they would serve to carry 
off the exhalations. 

But I perceive my journal is something like the con- 
versation I had with Mr. Jefferson ; I pass from one object 
to another, and forget myself as I write, as it happened not 
unfrequently in his society. I must now quit the Friend 
of Nature, but not Nature herself, who expects me in all 
her splendour at the end of my journey ; I mean the fam- 
ous Bridge of Rocks, which unites two mountains, the most 
curious object I ever yet beheld, as its construction is the 
most difficult of solution. Mr. JefFerson would most wil- 
lingly have conducted me thither, although this wonder is 
upwards of eighty miles from him. and he had often seen 
it; but his wife being indisposed, and himself as good a 
husband, as he is an excellent philosopher and a virtuous 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 459 

citizen, he ouly acted as my guide for about sixteen miles, 
to the passage of the little river ]Mechiiin, Avhere we parted, 
and I presume, to flatter myself, with mutual regret. 

We walked our horses seventeen miles further in the 
defiles of the \\estern mountains, before we could find a 
place to bait them ; at last we stopped at a little lonely 
house, a Mr. MacDonnel's, an Irishman, where we found 
eggs, bacon, chickens, and whiskey, on which we made an 
excellent repast. He was an honest, obliging man ; and his 
wife, who had a very agreeable and mild couutenance. had 
nothing rustic either in hei' conversation or her manner. 
For in the center of the woods, ami wholly occupied in 
rustic business, a Virginian never resendiles an European 
peasant; he is always a freeman, participates in the govern- 
ment, and has the command of a few negroes. So that unit- 
ing in himself the two distinct qualities of citizen and 
master, he perfectly resembles tlie bulk of individuals who 
formed what were called the people in the ancient repub- 
lics; a people very diffrent from tlial of our days, though 
they are very improperly confounded, in the frivolous 
declamations of our half philosophers, who, in comparing 
ancient with modern times, have invariably mistaken the 
word people, for mankind in general; and believing them- 
selves its defenders, have l)estowed flieir praises on the op- 
pressors of humanity. TTow many ideas have we still to 
rectify? How many words, the sense of which is yet vague 
and indetci-minate? The dignity of man has been urged 
a humlred times, and the expression is universally adopted. 
Yet after all, the dignity of man is i-elative; if taken in an 
individual sense, it is in proportion to the inferior cla.sses; 
the plebeian constitutes tlie dignity of the nol)le. the slave 
that of the plebian. and the negr(» tliat of his white master. 
If taken in a genei-al acceptation, it may inspire man with 
sentiments of tvrannv and cruelty, in his relative situa- 



460 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

tion with respect to other animals; destroying thus the 
general beneficience, by counteracting the orders and the 
views of Nature. What then is the principle on which 
Reason, excaped from sophists and rhetoricians, may at 
last rely? The equality of rights; the general interest 
which actuates all; private interest, connected with the 
general good ; the order of society ; as necessary as the 
symmetry of a beehive, etc., if all this does not furnish 
matter for eloquence, we must console ourselves, and pre- 
fer genuine morality to that which is fallacious. We had 
reason to be contented with that of ]Mr. MacDonuel; he 
presented us with the best he had, did not make us pay too 
dear, and gave us every instruction necessary to continue 
our journey; but not being able to set out until half past 
four o'clock, and having twelve miles to go before we pass- 
ed the Blue Ridges, we were happy in meeting on the road 
with an honest traveller, who served ns for a guide, and 
with whom we entered into conversation. He was an in- 
habitant of the county of Augusta, who had served in Car- 
olina as a common ritleman, notwithstanding which, he 
was well mounted, and appeared much at his ease. In 
America the militia is composed of all the inhabitants 
without distinction, and the officers are elected by them 
without respect either to service or experience. Our fel- 
low-traveller had been at the battle of Cowpens, where 
Ceneral Morgan, with 800 militia, entirely defeated the 
famous Tarleton, at the head of his legion, a regiment of 
regular troops, and of different pickets drawn from the 
army, forming near 1200 men, of whom upwards of SOO 
were killed or made prisoners. This event, the most extra- 
ordinary of the whole war, had always excited my curios- 
ity. The modesty and simplicity with which general Mor- 
gan gave the account of it, have been generally admired. 
But one circumstance in this relation had always aston- 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 4G1 

isbed me. Morgau drew up liis troops iu order of battle, 
iu au open wood, aud divided liis ritiemeu upou tlie two 
wings, so as to form, with the line, a kind of tenaiile, which 
collected the whole lii'e, both directly and obliquely, ou the 
center of the English. JJut after the tirst discharge, be 
made so dangerous a movement, that had he commanded 
the best disciplined troops in the world, 1 should be at a 
loss to account for it. He ordered the whole line to wheel 
to the right, and after retreating thirty or forty paces, 
made them halt, face about, and recommence the fli'e. I 
begged this witness, whose deposition could not be sus- 
pected, to relate what he had seen, and I found his account 
pei'fectly conformable to Morgan's own relation. But as 
he could assign no reason for this retrograde motion. I 
enquired if the ground behind the flrst positon was not 
more elevated and advantageous, but he assured me it was 
absolutely the same; so that if it was this action which 
tempted the English (whose attack is not hot, but con- 
sists in general of a brisk fire, rather than in closing witli 
the enemy) to break their line, and advance inconsider- 
ately into a kind of focus of shot poured from the center 
and the wings, it depended on General Morgan alone to 
have claimed the merit, and to have boasted of one of the 
boldest stratagems ever employed in the art of war. This 
is a merit however be never claimed, and the relation of 
this rifieman leaves no doubt with me, that the General, 
dreading the superiority of the English, had at first de- 
signed to give up gradually the field of battle, aud retreat 
to covered ground, more advantageous for inferior forces; 
but finding him.self closely pressed, he had no other re- 
source but to risk everything and give battle on the spot. 
Whatever was the motive of this singular manoeuvre, the 
result of it was the defeat of Tarleton, w hose troops gave 
way on all sides, without a possibility of rallying them. 



462 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Fatigued by a very long march, tliey were soon overtaken 
by the American militia, who, assisted by sixty horse under 
Colonel Washington, made upwards of 500 prisoners, and 
took two pair of colours and two pieces of cannon. 

It is natural to empiire how Tarleton's cavalry were 
employed during the engagement, and after the defeat; 
whilst the infantrj^ were engaged, they endeavoured to 
turn the flanks of General ilorgan's army, but were kept 
in awe by some riflemen, and by the American horse de- 
tached by Colonel ^^'ashiugton, to support them, in two lit- 
tle squadrons. After the battle, they fled full gallop, with- 
out ever thinking of the infanti*y, or taking the least pre- 
caution to cover their retreat. As to the English Ceneral, 
God knows what became of him. And this is that Tarle- 
ton who with Cornwallis was to finish the conquest of 
America ; who with Cornwallis had received the thanks 
of the House of Commons, and whom all England admired 
as the hero of the army and the honour of the nation. 

In reflecting on the fate of war, let us recollect, that 
two months after this victory gained by the militia, over 
1200 veteran troops, General Greene, after having assem- 
bled near 5000 men, half militia, half continentals, made 
choice of an excellent position, and employed all the re- 
sources of military art, was beaten by 1800 men, abaudoned 
by his militia, and forced to limit all his glory to the mak- 
ing the English pay dear for the field of battle, A\hich the 
rest of his troops defended foot by foot, and yielded with 
reluctance. 

[Passing through the gap, "or as it is called the neck 
of Rock-Fish which, in an extent of fifty miles, is the only 
passage to cross the Blue Ridges, at least in a carriage," 
they proceeded through woods abounding in game to the 
"South River," a branch of the "Potowmack." This streaui 
they forded. The inns in the Ijaekwoods region were ex- 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 4G3 

ecrable. However, they were endured because they were 
uow ueariug the Natural Bridge which was tlie chief ob- 
ject of the journey. 

Luckily they met a native who was just returning home 
from getting his horse shod. This individual entering into 
conversation agreed to guide them on the road which it is 
doubtful that they could have deciphered without his aid. 
After two hours' travel the man said to M. de Chastellux, 
"You desire to see the Natural Bridge, don't you Sir. You 
are now upon it. Alight and go twenty steps to the right 
or left and you will see this prodigy." Chastellu.x's guide 
was a Mr. CJrisby, whom he accompanied home.] 

The other guests were a healthy good humoured young 
man of eight and twenty, who .set out from Philadelphia 
with a pretty wife of twenty, and a little child in her ai'ms, 
to settle 500 miles beyond the mountains, in a country 
lately inhabited, bordering on the Ohio, called the country 
of Kentucket. His whole retinue was a horse, which car- 
ried his wife and child. We were astonished at the easy 
manner with which he proceeded on his expedition, and 
took the liberty of mentioning our surprise to him. He 
told us that the i)urchase of good land in Pennsylvania 
was very extravagant, that provisions were too dear, and 
the inhabitants too numerous, in consequence of which lie 
thought it more beneficial to purchase for about fifty 
guineas the grant of a thousand acres of land in Kentucket. 
This territory had been formerly given to a Colonel of 
militia, until the King of England thought iirojxn- to order 
the distribution of tho.se immense countries; part of which 
was sold, and the other resei'ved to r<'compcns(» the Ameri- 
can troops who had .served in Canadn. But, said I, where 
are the cattle The imi)]emenls of husbandry with which 
you must begin to clear the land you have purch:i.sed? 
In the country itself, replied he. I carry nothing with me, 



464 TRAVELS IN NOKTH AMERICA 

but I have money in my pocket, and shall want for noth 
ing. I began to relish the resolution of this young man, 
who was active, vigorous, aud free from care ; but the pret- 
ty woman, twenty years of age only, I doubted not but she 
was in despair at the sacrifice she had made; and I en- 
deavoured to discover, in her features and looks, the secret 
sentiments of her soul. Though she had retired into a 
little chamber, to make room for us, she frequently came 
into that where we were; and I saw, not without astonish- 
ment, that her natural charms were even embellished by 
the serenity of her mind. She often caressed her husband 
and her child, and appeared to me admirably disposed to 
fulfil the first object of every infant colony — "to increase 
aud multiply." 

[Parting from Mr. Grisby, the traveller, with various 
experiences, amuug them some attempt at hunting game, 
passed through New London, Cumberland Court House 
and Powhatan Court House. Leaving the last named place 
on the 24th they proceeded forty-four miles to Petersburg 
on the "Apamatock." "There are some houses on the op- 
posite shore, but this kind of suburb is a district independ- 
ent of Petersburg, and called Pocahuuta."' Crossing the 
river on a ferry-boat they found a pleasant inn where they 
were met by Mr. Victor whom they had seen at Williams- 
burg. He was a Prussian who had come to visit Mrs. 
Bowling, "one of the greatest landholders in Virginia and 
proprietor of half the town of Petersburg. Mrs. Bowling 
is the owner of great warehouses of tobacco at Peters- 
burg — a commodity used as collateral for receipts that 
generally circulated as money."] 

The warehouses at Petersburg belong to Mrs. Bowliug 
They were spared by the English, either because the Gen- 
erals Philips and Arnold, who lodged with her, had some 



I 

i 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 465 

respect for her property, or because they wished to pre- 
serve the tobacco coutaiued in them iu expectation of sell- 
ing it for their profit. Phillips died in Mrs. Bowling's 
house, by which event the supreme command devolved up- 
on Arnold; and I heard it said, that Lord Cornwallis, on 
his arrival, found him at great variance with the navy, 
who pretended that the booty belonged to them. Lord 
Cornwallis terminated the dispute, by burning the tobacco, 
but not before Mrs. Bowling, by her interest, had time 
sufficient to get it removed from her warehouses. She 
was luck}' enough, also, to save her valuable property iu 
the same town, consisting of a mill, which turns such a 
number of mill-stones, bolting machines, cribbles, etc., and, 
iu so simple and easy a manner, that it ^jroduces above 
800 pounds a year sterling. I passed upwards of an hour 
in examining its various parts, and admiring the carpen- 
ter's work, and the construction. It is turned by the wa- 
ters of the Apamatock, which are conveyed to it by a canal 
excavated in the rock. Having continued our walk in the 
town, where we saw a numlier of shops, many of which 
were well stocked, we thought it time to pay our respects 
to Mrs. Bowling, and begged Mr. "S'ictor to conduct us to 
her. Her house, or rather houses, for she has two on the 
same line resembling each other, which she iJroposes to 
join together, are situated on the summit of a considerable 
slope, which rises from the level of the town of Petersburg, 
and corres]iouds so exactly with the coui-se of the river, 
that there is no doubt of its having formerly formed one 
of its banks. This slope, and the vasi i)latform on which 
the house is built, are covered with grass, which affords 
excellent pasturage, and are also her property. It was 
formerly surrounded with rails, and she raised a number 
of fine horses there; but the ICnglish burned the fences, 
and carried awav a great nuinlici- of the hor.ses. On our 



466 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

arrival we were saluted by Miss Bowliug, a young lady 
of fifteen, possessing all the freshness of her age; she was 
followed by her mother, brother, and sister-in-law. The 
mother, a lady of fiftj', has but little resemblance to her 
country-women ; she is lively, active, and intelligent; knows 
perfectly well how to manage her immense fortune, and 
what is yet more rare, knows how to make good use of it. 
Her son and daughter-in-law 1 had already seen at Wil- 
liamsburgh. The young gentleman appears mild and po- 
lite, but his wife, of only seventeen years of age, is a most 
interesting acquaintance, not only from her face and form, 
which are exquisitely delicate, and quite European, but 
from her being also descended from the Indian Princess 
Pocahunta, daughter of King Powhatan, (if wiiom I have 
already spoken. We may presume tiuit it is rather the dis- 
position of that amiable American woman, than her ex- 
terior beauty, which Mrs. Bowling inherits. 

Perhaps they who are not particularly acquainted with 
the history of Virginia, may be ignorant, that Pocahunta 
was the protectress of the English, and often screened 
them from the cruelty of her father. 81ie was twelve years 
old when Captain Smith, the bravest, the most intelligent 
and the most humane of the first colonists, fell into the 
hands of the savages; he already, understood their lan- 
guage, and traded with them several times, and often ap- 
peased the quarrels between the Europeans and them; 
often had he been obliged also to fight them, and to puuish 
their perfidy. At length, however, under the protext of 
commerce, he was drawn into an ambush, and the only 
two companions who accompanied him, fell before his eyes; 
but, though alone, by his dexterity he extricated himself 
from the troop which surrounded him, until, unfortunate- 
ly, imaginiug he could save himself by crossing a morass, 
he stuck fast, so that the savages, against Avhom he had 



PERFORMED RY M. J)k CHASTELLUX 46T 

uo moaus of defending himself, a( last toulc and bound liiiu, 
and conducted liini to Powhatan. The King was so proud 
of having Cai^tain Smith in his power, that he sent hiiii in 
triumph to all the tributary Princes, and ordered that he 
should be splendidly treated, till he returned to suffer that 
death which Avas prepared for him. 

The fatal moment at last arrived, Captain Hmith was 
laid upon the heiu-fh of tlie savage King, and his head 
placed upon a large stone to receive the stroke of death, 
when Pocahunta, the youngest and darling daugiiter of 
Powhatiin, tJirew herself upon his body, clasi^ed him in 
her arms, and declared, that if the cruel sentence were exe- 
cuted, the first blow should fall on her. All savages (abso- 
lute sovereigns and tyrants not excepted) are invariably 
more affected by the tears of infancy, than the voice of 
humanity. Powhatan could not resist the tears and pray- 
ers of his daughter; Caplain Smith obtained his life, on 
condition of paying for his ransom a certain quuutitj^ of 
muskets, powder and iron utensils; but how were they to 
be obtained. They would neither peru)it him to return to 
James Town, nor let the English know where he was, lest 
they should demand him sword iu baud. Captain Smith, 
wlio was as sensible as courageous said, that if Powhatan 
would permit one of his subjects to carry to James Town 
a little boai'd which he would give him, he should lind 
under a tree, at the day and hour ai)pointed, all the articles 
demanded lor his ransom. Pow lialan coiisented, but with- 
out having much faith iu his promises, believing it to be 
(mly an artifice of the ("aptaiu's to prolong his life. But 
he had written on the board a few lines sullicient to give 
an account of his situation. The messenger retui'ne<I. The 
King sent to (be place lixed upon, and was greatly aston- 
ished to find everything which bail l)een demanded. Pow- 
hatan could not conceive this mode of transuiitting 



468 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

thoughts, and Captain Smith was henceforth looked upon 
as a great magician, to whom they could not shew too much 
respect. He left the savages in this opinion, and hastened 
to return home. Two or three years after, some fresh dif- 
ferences arising amidst them and the English, Powhatan, 
who no longer thought them sorcerers, but still feared their 
power, laid a horrid plan to get rid of them altogether. 
His project was to attacli them in profound peace, and 
cut the throats of the whole colony. The night of this in- 
tended couspii'acy, Pocahunta took advantage of the ob- 
scurity, and in a terrible storm which kept the savages 
in their tents, escaped from her father's house, advised the 
English to be upon their guard, but conjured them to spare 
her family, to appear ignorant of the intelligence she had 
given, and terminate all their differences by a new treaty. 
It would be tedious to relate all the services which this 
angel of peace rendered to both nations. I shall only add, 
that the English, I know not from what motives, but cer- 
tainly against all faith and equity, thought proper to car- 
ry her off. Long and bitterly did she deplore her fate, and 
the only consolation she had was Captain Smith, iu whom 
she found a second father. She was treated with great 
respect, and married to a planter of the name of Rolle, 
who soon after took her to England. This was in the reign 
of James the First ; and, it is said, that this monarch, pe 
dantic, and ridiculous in every point, Avas so infatuated 
with the prerogatives of royalty, that he expressed his dis- 
pleasure, that one of his subjects should dare to marry the 
daughter even of a savage King. It will not perhaps be 
difficult to decide on this occasion, whether it was the sav- 
age King who derived honoiir from finding himself placed 
upon a level with the Europeon prince, or the English 
monarch, who bj' his pride and prejudices reduced himself 
to the level with the chief of the savages. Be that as it 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 469 

will, Captaiu Smith, who had returned to Loudon hefore 
the arrival of Pocahunta, was extremely happy to see her 
again, but dared not to treat her with the same familiarity 
as at James Town. As soon as she saw him, she threw her- 
self into his arms, calling him her father; hut finding that 
he neither returned her caresses with equal warmth, nor 
the endearing title of daughter, she turned aside her head 
and wept bitterly, and it was a long time before they could 
obtain a single word from her. Captain Smith enquired 
several times what could be the cause of her affliction. 
"What!"' said she, "did I not save thy life in America? 
V\'hen I was torn from the arms of my father, and con- 
ducted amongst thy friends, didst thou not promise to be 
father to me? Didst thou not assure me, that if T went 
into thy country thou wouldst lie my father, and that 1 
should be thy daughter? Thou hast deceived me, and be- 
hold me, now here, a stranger and an orphan." It was not 
difficult for the Captaiu to niake his peace with this charm- 
ing creature, whom he tenderly loved. He presented her 
to several people of the first quality, but never dared tidce 
her to court, from which however she received several fa- 
vours. After a residence of several year's in England, an 
example of virtue and piety, and attachment to her hus 
liand, she died, as she was on the point of embarking on 
her return to America. She left an only son, who was 
married, and left only daughters; these daughters, others; 
and thus, with the female line, the blood of the amiable 
Pocahunta now flows in the veins of the young and charm- 
ing jMrs. Bowling. 

I hope I shall be pardoned this long digression, wliicli 
may be pleasing to some readers. My visit to Mrs. Bowl- 
ing and her family, having convinced me, that I should 
pass part of the day with them agreeably. 1 continued my 
walk, with a promise of returning at two o'clock. Mr. 



470 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Victor conducted me to the camp formerly occupied bv 
the enemy, and testified his regret that I could not take a 
nearer view of Mr. Bannister's handsome country-house, 
which Mas in sight ; there being no other obstacle however 
than the distance, about a mile and a half, and the noonday 
heat, we determined that this should not stop us; and, 
walking slowly, we reached without fatigue, this house, 
which is really worth seeing. It is decorated rather in the 
Italian, than the English or American style, having three 
porticoes at the three principal entries, each of them sup- 
ported by four columns. 

[Next day they were obliged to quit the good house and 
agreeable company they had enjoyed and left Petersburg 
behind — a town, already flourishing and destined, to the 
traveler's mind, to liecome increasingly impoi'tant, in spite 
of its insalubrious climate.] 

Five miles from Petersburg we passed the small river 
of Randolph, over a stone bridge; and travelling through 
a rich and well peopled country, arrived at a fork of roads, 
where we were unlucky enough precisely to make choice of 
that which did not lead to Richmond, the place of our des- 
tination. But we had no reason to regret our error, as it 
was only two miles about ; and we skirted James river to a 
charming place called Warwick, where a groupe of hand- 
some houses form a sort of village, and there are several 
superb ones in the neighborhood ; amongst others, that of 
Tolonel Carey, on the right bank of the river, and M. Ran- 
dolph's on the opposite shore. One must be fatigued witli 
hearing the name of Randolph mentioned in travelling in 
Virginia, (for it is one of tb.e most ancient families in the 
country) a Randolph being amongst the first settlers, 
and is like-wise one of flie most numerous and rich. It is 
divided into seven or eight branches, and I am not afraid 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 471 

of exaggerating, when I say, that they possess an income 
of upwards of a million of livres. It is only twenty-five 
miles from Petersburg to Richmond, l)ut as we had lost 
our way, and travelled but slowly, it was near three o'clock 
when we reached Manchester, a sort of suburb to Rich- 
mond, on the right bank of the river, where you pass the 
ferry. The passage was short, there being two boats for 
the accommodation of travellers. Though Richmond lie 
already an old town, and well situated for trade, being 
built on the spot where James river begins to be navigable, 
that is, just below the Rapids, it was, before the war, one 
of the least considerable in Virginia, where they are all, 
in general, very small; but the seat of government having 
been removed from Williamsburgh, it is become a real 
capital, and is augmenting every day. It was necessary, 
doubtless, to place the legislative body at a distance from 
the sea-coast, where it was exposed to the rapid and un 
expected inroads of the English ; but Williamsbiu-gh had 
the still farther inconvenience of being situated at the ex- 
tremity of the state, which obliged a great part of the Dele- 
gates to make a long journey to the Assembly; besides, 
that from its position between James and York rivers, it 
has no port nor communication witli them, but by small 
creeks very difficult for navigation, whilst vessels of 200 
tons come up to Richmond. This new capital is divided 
into three parts, one of which is on the edge of the river, 
and may be considered as Ibe port; the two others are 
built on two eminences, wliich are separated by a little 
valley. T was conducted to that on (lie west, where T found 
a good inn, and my lodgings, and dinner ordered by a 
servant whom I had sent on two days before, with a lame 
horse. We were served, therefore, immediately, but with 
such magnificence and profusion, that there wotild have 
been too much for twenty persons. Every plate that was 



472 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

brought us produced a burst of laughter, but not without 
considerable alarm for the bill of the next day; for I had 
been apprized that the inns at Richmond were uncommon- 
ly extravagant. I escaped, however, for seven or eight 
Louis d'ors, which was not enormous, considering our ex- 
penditure. A short time before, Mr. de Rochambeau had 
paid five and twenty Louis, at another inn, for some horses 
which remained there for four or five days, although he 
neither ate not slept in it himself. ^Mr. Formicalo, my 
landlord, Avas more honest ; his only error was the exalted 
idea he had formed of the manner in'which Fl-ench Gener- 
al Officers must be treated. He is a Neapolitan, who came 
to Virginia with Lord Dunnmore, as his Maitre de' Hotel, 
but he had gone rather round about, having been before in 
Russia. At present he has a good house, furniture, and 
slaves, and will soon become a man of conseiiuence in his 
new country. He still, however, recollects his native land 
with pleasure, and I have no doubt that my attention in 
addressing him only in Italian, saved me a few Louis. 

After dinner I went to pay a visit to Mr. Harrison, 
then Governor of the State. I found him in a homely, but 
spacious enough house, which was fitted up for him. As 
the Assembly was not then sitting, there was nothing to 
distinguish him from other citizens. One of his brothers, 
who is a Colonel of Artillery, and one of his sons, who 
acts as his Secretary, were with liim. The conversation 
was free and agreeable, Avliich he was even desirous of 
prolonging; for on my rising in half an hour, lest I might 
interrupt him, he assured me that the business of the day 
was at an end, and desired nie to resume my seat. We 
talked much of the first Congress in America, in which lie 
sat for two years, and Avhich, as I have already said, was 
composed of every person distinguished for virtue and 
capacity on the continent. This subject led us naturally 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 473 

to that which is the most favdurite topic amongst the 
Americaus, the origin and commencement of the present 
Revolution. It is a circumstance peculiar to Virginia, that 
the inhabitants of that country were certainly in the best 
situation of all the colonists under the English govern- 
ment. The Virginians were planters, ratlier than mer- 
chants, and the olijects of tlieir culture were rather valu- 
able than the result of industry. They possessed, almost 
exclusively, the privileged article of tobacco, which <he 
English came in (juest of into the very heart of the coun- 
try, bringing in exchange every article of utility, and even 
of luxury. They had a particular regard and predilection 
for Virginia, and favoured accordingly the peculiar dispo- 
sition of that country, where cupidity and indolence go 
hand-in-hand, and serve only as boundaries to each other. 
It was undoubtedly no easy matter therefore, to persuade 
this people to take up arms, because the town of Boston 
did not chuse to pay a duty upon tea, and was in open rup- 
ture with England. To produce this effect, it was neces- 
sary to substitute activity for indolence, and foresight for 
indifference. That idea was to be awakened at which every 
man, educated in the principles of the English constitu- 
tion, shudders, the idea of a servile submission to a tax to 
which he had not himself consented. The precise case 
however relative to them, had not yet occured, though 
every enlightened mind foresaw that such was the object, 
and would be the inevitaltle consequence of the early meas- 
ures of the government; but how were the people (o lie con- 
vinced of this? By what other motive could they be 
brought to adopt decisive measures, if not by the confi- 
dence they reposed in their leaders? ^Mr. Harrison in- 
formed me, that wlien he was on the point of setting out 
with IMr. Jefferson and ^fr. Lee to attend the first Con- 
gress at Philadelphia, a number of respectable, but un- 



474 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

informed inhabitants, waited upon, and addressed them 
as follows : "You assert that there is a fixed intention to 
invade our rights and privileges; we own that we do not 
see this cleai-ly, but since you assure us that it is so, we 
believe the fact. We are about to take a very dangerous 
step, but we confide in you, and are ready to support you 
in every measure you shall think proper to adopt." Mr. 
Harrison added, that he found himself greatly relieved by 
a speech made by Lord North soon after, in which he could 
not refrain from avowing, in the clearest manner, the plan 
of the British Government. This speech was printed in 
the public papers, and all America rang with its contents. 
Returning afterwards to Virginia, he saw the same per- 
sons who had thus addressed him on his departure, who 
now confessed that he had not deceived them, and that 
henceforward they wore resolutely determined upon war. 
These particular details cannot but be useful to such 
Europeans as are desirous of forming a just idea of those 
great events, in which they took so deep an interest; for 
they would be much deceived in imagining that all the 
Thirteen States of America were invariably animated by 
the same spirit, and aifected by the same sentiments. But 
they would commit a still greater error, did they imagine, 
that these people resemble each other in their forms of 
government, their mannei-s and opinions. One must be in 
the country itself; one must be acquainted with the lan- 
guages, and take a pleasure in conversing, and in listening, 
to be qualified to form, and that slowly, a proper opinion 
and a decisive judgment. After this reflection, the reader 
will not be surprised at the pleasure I took in conversing 
with Mr. Harrison. Besides that T was particularly happy 
to form an acquaintance with a man of so e.'^timable char- 
acter in every respect, and whose best eulogium it is to 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 475 

say, that he is the intimate friend of Dr. Franklin.* He 
pressed me to dine with him next day, and to pass another 
day at Richmond; but as there was nothing to excite 
curiosity in that town, and I was desirous of stopping at 
Y\'estover before I returned to Williamsburgh. where I 
\\as anxious to arrive, we set out the 27th at eight in the 
morning, under the escort of Colonel Harrison, who ac- 
companied us to a road from which it was impossible to 
go astray. We travelled six and twenty miles without 
halting, in very hot weather, but by a very agreeable road, 
with magnificent houses in view at every instant; for the 
lianks of James-River form the garden of Virginia. That 
of Mrs Bird, to which T wa.s going, surpasses them all in 
the magnificence of the buildings, the beauty of its situa- 
tion, and the pleasui-es of society.* 

Mrs. Bird is the widow of a Colonel who served in the 
war of 1756, and was afterwards one of the council under 
the British Govei'nment. His talents, his personal quali 
ties, and liis i-ichcs, for he possessed an immense territory, 
rendered him one of the pi-incipal personages of the oun- 



*Thp illiistrinrs niirl aminhio chni-.Tclpi- of noctiir Franklin 1^ far boyonrt ray 
praise. To liavp li-nown him : to have boon n frocnipnt witness to the distinguished 
acts of his great mind : to have been In a sitiialion to learn, and to admire his 
fouuTehensive views, and benevolent motives; to have heard the profound 
maxims of wise philosophy and sound iiolitifs. drop from his lips with all the 
unaffected simplicity of the most indifferent conservation : to have heard him 
deviate from the depths of reason, and adapt his instructive discourse to the 
capacity and temper of the younir and say: (o have enjoyed in short, the varied 
Inyuries of his dnlichtful society : is a suliject of triumph and consolathm. of 
which nothinc can deprive me. He. too. as well as the envious and interested 
enemies of ins transcendent merit, must droyi from off the scene, but his name, 
are prreiiniKn. is inscribed in indelible characters on the immortal roll of philos- 
ophy and freedom ; for the nrdentia rrrha of the most honest advocate of freedom 
of the present ajre. the late Serjeant filynn. on a (treat occasion, the action 
aaainst Ix>rd ITalifa.K for the false imiu-isonment of Mr. Wilkes, may with 
peculiar justice be applied to this (treat man. "Few men In whole revolvinR ages 
can be found, who dare oppose tliemsclves to the force of tyranny, and whose 
Singh' breasts contain tlie spirit of nations." | Translator. 

♦The most perfect ease and comfort characterize the mode of recelvinK 
sfrauirers in \'ircinia : but nowitere are these circumslances more constdcuous 
than at the house of General Washington. Your apartments are your home, 
the servants of the house are yours, and whilst every inducement is held out to 
I>rin2 von into the general society in the dra\ving room, or at the table. It re.sts 
Willi yourself to be sei'ved or not with e^■erytbing in your own chamber. Id 
short, nothing can more resemble the easy reception of guest ttian at the country 
residence of the late Sir Charles Turner in Yorkshire, where hospitality perhaps 
was strained farther than consisted \vlth a proper assortment of company, or 
eyeu witli safety. — Translator. 



476 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

try; but being a spendthrift and a gambler, he left bis 
affairs, at his death, in verj' great disorder. He bad four 
children by bis first wife, who were already settled in the 
world, and has left eight by his second, of whom the widow 
takes care. She has preserved his beautiful house, situated 
on James-River, a large personal property, a considerable 
number of slaves, and some plantations which she has ren- 
dered valuable. She is about two-and-forty, with an agree- 
able countenance, and great sense. Four of her eight chil- 
dren are daughters, two of whom are near twenty, and they 
are all amiable and well educated. Her care and activity 
have in some measures repaired the effects of her hus- 
band's dissipation, and her house is still the most cele- 
brated, and the most agreeable of the neighbourhood. She 
has experienced however fresh misfortunes; three times 
have the English landed at Westover, under Arnold and 
Cornwallis; and though these visits cost her dear, her 
husband's former attachment to England, where his eldest 
son is now serving in the army, her relationship with Arn- 
old, whose cousin german she is, and perhape too, the 
jealousy of her neighbours, have given birth to suspicions, 
that war alone was not the object which induced the Eng- 
lish always to make their descents at her habitation. She 
has been accused even of connivance with them, and the 
government have once put their seal upon her papers; Iiul 
she has braved the tempest, and defended herself with 
firmness; and though her affair be not yet terminated, it 
does not appear as if she was likely to suffer any other 
inconvenience than that of being disturbed and suspected. 
Her two eldest daughters passed the last winter at Wil- 
liamsburgh, where they were greath' complimented by il. 
de Rochambeau and the whole army.* 

I had also received them in the best manner I could, 
and received the thanks of Mrs. Bird, with a pressing invi- 



perfor:med by ^r. de chastellux 477 

tatiou to come aud see lier; I found myself iu eouseiiueuce 
quite at liome. I found here also my acquaintance, the 
young Mrs. Bowling, who was on a visit to ^Mr. INIead, a 
friend aud neighbour of Mrs. Bird's, who had invited him 
aud his company- to dinner. I j)assed this daj' therefoi'e 
very agreeably, aud Mr. aud Mrs. Mead, whom I had also 
kuowu at Williamsburgh, engaged the company to diue 
with them the next day. The river alone separated the 
two houses, which are notwithstanding, upwards of a nule 
distant from each other; but as there is very little current, 
the breadth of the water between them does uot prevent it 
from being soon passed. Mr. Mead's house is by no meaus 
so handsome as that of Westover, l)ut it is extremely well 
fitted up ^\^thin, and stands ou a charming situation ; for 
it is directly opposite to Mrs. Bird's, which, with its sur- 
rounding appendages, has the appearance of a small town, 
and forms a most delightful prospect. Mr. Mead's garden, 
like that of Westover, is iu the nature of terrace on the 
banks of the river, and is capable of being made still more 
beautiful, if ]Mr. ]\Iead preserves his house, aud gives some 
attention to it; for he is a philosopher of a very amiable 
but singular turn of mind, and such as is particularly un- 
common in Virginia, since he rarely attends to affairs of 
interest, and cannot prevail upon himself to make his 
negroes work. He is even so disgusted with a culture 
wherein it is necessary to make use of slaves, that he was 



•The prudent conduct of tlip French officers, and Uie strict discipline of 
their troops in a country with different manners, lanj-'nage, and religion, full of 
Inveterate prejudices, and wherein they had very lately heen regarded as 
natural enemies, must ever be considered as an epocha and a phaenomenon In 
the history of policy and .suliordinatiun. Whilst nil ranks of omcers were mak- 
ing it their study ' successfnllv to conciliate the good opinion of the higher 
classes, nothing could exceed the pri>l>ity and urbanity of the common soldiers: 
not onlv did they live with the American troops in a harmony, hitherto un- 
known to allied armies, even of kindred Language, interest and religion, but their 
conduct was Irreproachahle, and even delicate to the Inhabitants of the country. 
Thev who predicted discord on the introduction of a French army, had rea.son 
and' experience on their side : but the spirit of pollev and wisdom which pre- 
sided In the French councils had gone forth, and diffused itself through ever.v 
subordinate class of men, persuaded even the meanest actors In the war, and 
baffled foresight. Nor was this one of the least extraordinary circumstances of 
this wonderful revolution. — Translator. 



478 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMI^RICA 

tempted to sell his possessions in Virginia, and remove 
to New England. Mrs. Bird, who has a uunun'ous family 
to provide for, cannot carry her philosophy so far; but she 
takes great care of hei* negroes, makes them as happy as 
their situation will admit, and seiwes them herself as a 
doctor in time of sickness. She has even made some inter- 
esting disc(-»veries on the disorders incident to them, and 
discovered a very salutary method of treating a sort of 
putrid fever which carries them off commonly in a few 
days, and against which the physicians of the country have 
exerted themselves without success.* 

The reader will certainly not accuse me of playing the 
orator, and reserving objects of the greatest magnitude for 
the end of my discourse; for I shall here conclude my 
journal. It is unnecessary to speak of my return to Wil- 
liamsburgh, unless it be worthy of remark, that the Chicka- 
homing, whicli is only a secondary river, since it falls into 
that of James, is yet so wide, six miles from its conflux, 
that I was three quarters of an hour in passing it. But 
if he will still favour me with his attention, I shall termin- 



*Mr. Lund Washington, a relative of the General's and who managed all his affairs 
during hi3 nine years' absence with the army, mfurmed me that an Kngiish frigate 
having come up the Potowmack, a party was lauded who set fire to and destroyed GOiiie 
gentlemen's houses on the Maryland side in sight of Mount Vernon, the General's house, 
after which the Captain (I think Captain Graves of the Actaeon), sent a boat on shore 
to the General's, demanding a large supply of provisions, etc., with a menace of burn- 
ing it likewise in case of a refusal. To this message. Mr. Lund Washiiigton replied, 
"that when the General engaged in the contest he had put all to stake, and was welJ 
aware of the exposed situation of his Iiouse and property, in consetjuence of which he 
had given hira orders by no means to comply with any such demands, for that he 
would make no unworthy compromise with the enemy, and was ready to meet the fate 
of his neighbours." The Captain was highly incensed on receiving this answer, and 
removed his frigate to the Virginia shore; but before he commenced his operations, he 
sent another message tu the same purport, offernig likewise a passport uf Mr. Washing- 
ton to come on board; he returned accordingly in the boat, carrying wiih him a small 
present of poultry, of which he begged the Captain's acceptance. His presence pro- 
duced the best effect he was hospitably received notwithstanding he repeated the same 
sentiments with the same firmness. The Captain expressed his personal respect for the 
character of the General, commending the conduct of Mr. Lund Washington, and assured 
him nothing but his having misconceived the terms of tlie first answer could have in 
duced him for a moment to entertain the idea of taking the smallest measure offensive 
to so illustrious a character as the General, explaining at the same time the real or sup- 
posed provocations which had compelled his severity on the other side of the river. Mr. 
Washington, after spending some time In perfect harmony on board, returned, and in- 
stantly dispatched sheep, hogs, and an abundant supply of other articles as a present 
to the English frigate. The Translator hopes tliat that in tlie present state of men and 
measures In England, Mr. Graves, or whoever the Captain of that frigate was, will 
neither be offended at this anecdote, nor be afraid to own himself the actor in this 
generous transaction. Henry IVth supplied Paris with provisions whilst he was block 
ading Itl — Translator. 



PEKFORMED BY M. De (HJA^^TELLUX 479 

ate this loug' narrative of a short journey, hy some observa- 
tions, on a country I have travelled through, and inliahited 
long enough to know it thoroughly. 

The Virginians differ essentially from the iuhal)itants 
to the north and eastward of the Bay (of Chesapeak) not 
only in the nature of their elinmte, that of their soil, and 
the objects of cultivation peculiar lo it, hut in tliat in- 
delible ciiaracter which is imprinted on every naliiui at the 
moment of its origin, and which by perpetuating itself 
from generation to generation, justifies the following great 
principles, that everything wliich is, partakes of tliat which 
has been. The discovery of Virginia dates from the end of 
the sixteenth century, and the settlement of the colony 
took place at the commencement of the seventeenth. These 
events passed in the reigns of Elizabetli and James the 
First. The republican and democi-atical spirit was not 
then common in England; that of coniiuerce and naviga- 
tion was scarcely in its infancy; and the long wars with 
France and Spain had perpetuated, under another form, 
the same military cast given to the nation by William the 
Conqueror, Kichai'd, Coeur de Lion, Edward tiie Third, and 
the Black Prince. Tliere were no longer any Knights 
Errant, as in the time of the Croisades, but in I heir place 
arose a number of adventurers who served indilferently 
their own country, and foreign powers; and gentlemen, 
who disdaining agriculture and commerce, had no other 
profession but that of arms; for at that period the unlitary 
spirit maintained the prejudices favourable to tluit nobil- 
ity, from which it was long inseparable; besides that the 
dignity of the peerage, from being less common in Eng- 
land, gave more eclat and more consistance to those who 
possessed it by hereditary right. The first colonists in 
Virginia were composed, in great nu^asure, of such sol- 
diers, and such gentlemeii, some of whom went in search 



480 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

of fortune, arid others, of adventures. And in fact, if tlie 
establishment of a colony I'equires all the industry of the 
merchant and the cultivator, the discovery, and conqr.est 
of unknown countries seems more peculiarly adapted to 
the ideas of the warlike and romantic. Accordingly tlie 
first company which obtained the exclusive property of 
Virginia, was principally composed of men the most dis- 
tinguished by their rank or birth; and though all these 
illustrious proprietors did not actually become colonists, 
several of them were not afraid to pass the seas ; and a 
Lord Delaware was amongst the first governors of Vir- 
ginia. It Avas natural therefore for these new colonists, 
Vv'ho were filled with military principles, and the prejudices 
of nobility, to carry them into the midst even of the sav- 
ages whose lands they were usurping; and of all our Euro- 
pean ideas, these were what the unpolished tribes most 
readily conceived. I know that there now remains but an 
inconsiderable number of these ancient families; but they 
have retained a great estimation, and the first impulse once 
given, it is not in the power of any legislator, not even of 
time itself, wholly to destroy its effect. Tlie government 
may become democratic, as it is at the present moment ; 
but the national character, the spirit of the government it- 
self, will be always aristocratic. Nor can this be doubted, 
Avhen we take into consideration another cause, co-operat- 
ing with the former; I mean to speak of slavery; not that it 
is any marlc of distinction, or peculiar privilege to possess 
negroes, but because the empire men exercise over tliem 
cherishes vanity and sloth, two vices which accord won- 
derfully with the already established prejudices. It will, 
doubtless, be asked, how these prejudices have been brought 
to coincide with a revolution founded on such different 
principles. I shall answer, that they have even perhaps 
contributed to produce it. That whilst the revolt of New 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 481 

Englaud was the result of reason aud calculatiou, pride 
possibly had no inconsiderable share in dictating the meas- 
ures of Virginia. I shall add, what I have above hinted, 
that in the beginning, even the indolence of this people 
may have been useful to them, as it obliged them to rely 
upon a small number of virtuous and enlightened citizens, 
who led them farther than they would have proceeded, 
without a guide, had they consulted only their own dis- 
positions. For it must be allowed, that Vii'giuia stepped 
forth with a good grace, at the very commencement of the 
troubles; that she was the first to offer succours to the 
Bostonians, and the tirst also to set on foot a considerable 
body of troops. But it may likewise be observed, that as 
soon as the new legislature was established, and when, in- 
stead of leaders, she had a government, and the mass of 
citizens was taking part in that government the national 
character prevailed, and everything went worse and worse. 
Thus states, like individuals, were born with a particular 
complexion, the bad effects of which may be corrected by 
regimen and habits, but can never be entirely changed. 
Thus legislators, like physicians, ouglit never to flatter 
themselves that they can bestow, at pleasure, a particular 
temperament on bodies politic, and strive to discover what 
they already have, and thence study to remedy the incon- 
veniencies, and multiply the advantages resulting from it. 
A general glance at the difl'erent States of America will 
serve to justify this opinion. The people of New England 
had no other motive for settling in the New World, than 
to escape from the arbitary power of their monarchs, who, 
at once, sovereigns of the state, and heads of the church, 
exercised at that period the double tyranny of despotism 
and intolerance. They were uot adventurers, they were 
men who wished to live in peace, and wlio laboured for 
their subsistence. Their principles taught them equality, 

SI 



482 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

and disposed them to industrious pursuits. The soil, na- 
turally barren, affording them but scanty resources, they 
attached themselves to fishing and navigation ; and at this 
hour, they are still friends to equality and industry; they 
are fishermen and navigators. The states of New Yorli and 
the Jerseys, were peopled by necessitous Dutchmen who 
wanted land in their own country, and occupied them- 
selves more about domestic economy thaa the public gov- 
ernment. These people have preserved the same charac- 
ter ; their interests, their efforts, so to speali, are personal ; 
their views are concentrated in their families, and it is 
only from necessity that these families are formed into a 
State. Accordingly, when General Burgoyne was on his 
march to Albany, the New Englandmen chiefly contributed 
to impede his progress ; and, if the inhabitants of the State 
of .New York and of the Jerseys have often taken arms, and 
displayed courage, it is because the former were animated 
by an inveterate hatred against the savages, which general- 
ly preceded the English armies, and the latter were excited 
to take personal vengeance for the excesses committed by 
the troops of the enemy when they over-ran the country. 
If you go further to the south, and pass the Delaware, you 
will find that the government of Pennsylvania, in its ori- 
gin, was found on two very opposite principles; it was a 
government of property, a government in itself feodal, or, 
if you will, patriarchal, but the spirit of which was the 
greatest toleration, and the most compleat liberty. Penn's 
family at first formed the vain project of establisliing a 
sort of Utopia, or perfect government, and afterwards of 
deriving the greatest possible advantage from their im- 
mense property, by attracting foreigners from all parts. 
Here it arises that the people of Pennsylvania have no 
characteristic assimilation, that they are intermingled and 
confounded, and more actuated to individual, than to pub- 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 483 

lie liberty, luore iucliiied lo auarcliy tliiiu tu democi-acy. 
Marylaud, subject iu the first iustauce to a proprietary 
goveromeiit, and considered only as a private domain, re- 
mained long iu a state of the most absolute dependence. 
This is the tirst time she merits to be regarded as a state; 
but this state seems to be forming under good auspices; 
she may become of great weight after the present revolu- 
tion, because she \va« formerly of no signilicauce. 

The two Carolinas and Georgia are next to be con- 
sidered; but I am not sufficiently acquainted with these 
three states to hazard on them any observation, which may 
not be so just in fact as they appear to me; but which are 
at least of a delicate nature, and require more than super- 
ficial examination. I only know, that North Carolina, 
peopled by Scotsmen, brought thither by povei'ty, rather 
than by industry, is a prey to ads of pillage, and to iuter- 
ual dissensions; that South Carolina, possessing a com- 
merce, wholly of exportation owes its existence to its sea- 
ports, especially to that of Charlestowu, which has rapidly 
increased, and is become a commercial town, in which 
strangers abound, as at Marseilles and Amsterdam; that 
the manners there are consequently i)olished and easy; 
that the inhabitants love pleasure, the arts, and society; 
and that this country is more European in its mannei's 
than any in America. 

Now if there be any accuracy iu this sketch, let me de- 
sire the reader to compare the spirit of the American State 
with their present government. I desire iiim to form the 
comparison at the present moment, in twenty, or in fifty 
years hence, and I am persuaded, that since all these gov- 
ernments resemble each other, as they are all democratical, 
he will still discover the traces of that original character, 
of that spirit which presides at the fornmtion of people, 
and at the establishment of nations. 



484 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

Virginia will retain this discriminating character lon- 
ger than the other States; whether it be that prejudices 
are more durable, the more absurd, and the more frivolous 
they are, or that those which injure a part only of the 
human race, are more subject to remark than those which 
affect all mankind. In the present revolution, the ancient 
families have seen, with pain, new men occupying dis- 
tinguished situations in the army, and in the magistracy ; 
and the Tories have even hence drawn advantages, to cool 
the ardour of the less zealous of the Whigs. But the popu- 
lar party have maintained their ground, and it is only to 
be regretted that they have not displayed the same activity 
in combating the English, as in disputing precedences. It 
is to be apprehended, however, that circumstances becom- 
ing favourable to them, on a peace, they may be obliged 
entirely to give way, or to support themselves by factions, 
which must necessarily disturb the order of society. 

The established religion, previous to the Revolution, 
was that of the Church of England, which we know re- 
quires Episcopacy, and that every priest must be ordained 
by a bishop. Before the war, persons destined to the 
church, went to England, to study and to be ordained. It 
is impossible, therefore, in the present circumstances, to 
supply the vacancies of the pastors who drop off. What 
has been the consequence of this? That the churches have 
remained shut; the people have done without a pastor, 
and not a thought has been employed towards any settle- 
ment of an English church, independent of England. The 
most complete toleration is established ; but tlie other com- 
munions have made no acquisiton from the losses of the 
former; each sect has remained in its original situation; 
and this sort of religious interrignum, has been productive 
of no disorder. The clergy have besides received a severe 
check in the new constitution, which excludes them from 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 485 

all share in the government, even from the right of voting 
at elections. It is trne, that the judges and lawyers are 
subjected to the same exclusion, but that is from another 
motive; to prevent the public interest from falling into 
competition with that of individuals. The legislator dread- 
ed the re-action of these interests; it has been thought 
proper, in short, to form a sort of separate body in the 
State, under the name of the Judicial Body. These gen- 
eral views are perhaps saluatary in themselves ; but they 
are attended with an inconvenience at the present mo- 
ment; for the lawyers, who are certainly the most en- 
lightened part of the community, are removed from the 
civil councils, and the administration is entrusted either 
to ignorant, or to the least skilfnl men. This is the prin- 
cipal objection made in the country to the present form 
of Government, which to me appears excellent in many re- 
spects. It is everywhere in print, and easily to be pro- 
cured ; but I shall endeavour to give a sketch of it in a 
few words. It is composed, 1st, of the Assembly of Depu- 
ties, named by the cities and counties, a body correspond- 
ing -with the House of Commons. 2dly, of a Senate, the 
members of which are elected by several nnited counties, 
in a greater or less number, according to the population of 
the counties, which answers to the House of Peers. 3dly, 
of .an Executive Council, of which the Covernor is presi- 
dent, and the members chosen by the two Chambers; a 
substitute for the executive power of the King of Eng- 
land. 

It is not by accident that I have postponed the consider- 
ation of everything respecting the progress of the Arts and 
Sciences in this country, until the conclusion of my reflec- 
tions in Virginia. I have done it expressly, because the 
mind, after bestowing its attention on the variety of hu- 
man institution, reposes itself with pleasure on those 



486 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

which tend to the perfection of the understanding, and the 
progress of information ; and above all, because having 
found myself under the necessity of speaking less advan- 
tageously of this State than I wished to have done, I am 
happy to conclude with an article, which is wholly in their 
commendation. The College of William and Mary, whose 
founders are announced by the very name, is a noble es- 
tablishment which embellishes Williamsburg, and does 
honour to Virginia. The beauty of the edifice is surpassed 
by the richness of its library, and that, still farther, by 
the distinguished merit of several of the Professors, such 
as the Doctors Maddison, Wythe, Bellini, etc., etc., who 
may be regarded as living books, at once affording precepts 
and examples. I must likewise add, that the zeal of these 
Professors has been crowned with the most distinguished 
success, and that they have already formed many distin- 
guished characters, ready to serve their country in the 
various departments of government. Amongst these, it is 
with pleasure I mention Mr. Short, with whom I was par- 
ticularly connected. After doing justice to the exertions 
of the University of Williamsburg, for such is the College 
of William and Mary; if it be necessary for its further 
glory to cite miracles, I shall only observe that they creat- 
ed me a Doctor of Laws. 

Williamsburg, 

1st of May 1782. 

A JOURNEY INTO NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE STATE 
OF MASSACHUSETTS AND UPPER 
PENNSYLVANIA 
[By change of commanding officers in October 1782, 
Chastellux marched with a portion of the troops to Hart- 
ford. On this journey the Translator claims to have at- 
tended the French army from Alexandria to the North 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 487 

river. Chastellux being detained according to the military 
plans in Hartford, determined to avail himself of the op- 
portunity to visit the upper part of the State of Massachu- 
setts and New Hampshire which he had not yet seen. Set- 
ting out on the 4th of November with Messrs. Lynch, de 
Montesquieu, Baron de Taleyrand, and M. de Vandrenil 
they followed the Bolton road passed through the town- 
ship of Coventry, the township of Ashford and "Wood 
stock meeting." On the 6th they travel toward Concord 
"where the first blood was shed, which commenced the 
Civil War." They pass through Grafton after which they 
passed "Blackstone river." They then journeyed by Marl- 
borough where there were "handsome houses and more col- 
lected than in the other towns and townships."] 

We at length entered a wood, which conducted us to 
the river of Concord, or Billerika, over which we passed 
by a bridge about a mile from the Meeting, and at the same 
distance from Mr. John's, where it was near nine o'clock 
before we arrived. This is an excellent inn, kept by a most 
determined Whig, who acted his part in the affair of Con- 
cord. Major Pitcairn, who commanded the English on 
this occasion, had lodged frequently at Ms house, in travel- 
ling through the country in disguise; a method he had 
sometimes taken, though very dangerous, of gaining in- 
formation to communicate to General Gage. The day on 
which he headed the English troops to Concord, he arrived 
at seven in the morning, followed by a company of grena- 
diers, and went immediately to Mr. John's tavern, the door 
of which being shut, he knocked several times, and on the 
refusal to open it, ordered his grenadiers to force it. En- 
tering it himself the first, he pushed :\Ir. John with such 
violence a.s to throw him down, and afterwards placed a 
guard over him, frequently insisting on his pointing out 
the magazines of the rebels. The Americans had, in fact, 



488 TKAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

collected some cannon and warlike stores at Concord, but 
having received timely notice in the night they had re- 
moved everything into the woods, except three twenty- 
four pounders, which remained in the prisonyard, of which 
Mr. John was the keeper. Major Pitcairn carrying his 
violence so far as to clap a pistol to his throat, Mr. John, 
who had himself been in a passion, grew calm, and tried to 
pacify the English commander. He assured him that there 
were only the above three pieces at Concord, and that he 
should see them if he would follow him. He conducted 
him to the prison, where the English entered, he says, in a 
rage, at seeing the Yankees so expert in mounting cannon, 
and in providing themselves with everything necessary for 
the service of artillery, such as spunges, rammers, etc. 
Major Pitcairn made his men destroy the carriages, and 
break the trunnions; then ordered the prison to be set open, 
where he found two prisoners, one of whom, being a Tory, 
he released. 

The first moments of trouble and vivacity being over, 
Major Pitcairn returned to Mr. John's where he break- 
fasted, and paid for it. The latter resumed his station of 
innkeeper; numbers of the English came to ask for rum, 
which he measured out as usual, and made them pay ex- 
actly. In the meantime, the Americans, who had passed 
the river in their retreat, began to rally, and to unite with 
those, who, apprized by the alarm bells, and various ex- 
presses, were coming to their assistance. The disposition 
Major Pitcairn had to make for his security, whilst he 
was employed in searching for, and destroying the am- 
munition, was by no means difficult; it was only neces- 
sary to place strong guards at the two bridges to the North 
and South, which he had done. Towards ten o'clock in the 
morning, the firing of musquetry was heard at the North 
Bridge, on which the English rallied at the place appoint- 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLIIX 489 

ed, on a height, in a church-yard situated to the right of 
the road, and opposite the town-house. Three hundred 
Americans, who were assembled on the other side of the 
river, descended from the heights by a winding road which 
leads obliquely to the bridge, but which, at sixty paces 
from the river, turns to the left, and comes straight upon 
it. Until they had reached this angle, they had their flank 
covered by a small stone wall ; but when they came to this 
point, they marched up boldly to the bridge, which they 
found the enemy employed in breaking down. The latter 
fired the first, but the Americans fell upon them, and they 
easily gave way, which appears rather extraordinary. Mr. 
John aflirms, that the English at first imagined the Amer- 
icans had no ball, but that they soon found their error, on 
seeing several of their soldiers wounded. They even spenk 
here of an officer, who informed his men that they had noth- 
ing to fear, for that the Americans had only powder; 
but a drummer who was near him receiving at the moment 
a musket shot, replied, "Take care of that powder. Cap- 
tain." The English had three men killed here, and several 
wounded, two of them were officers. The Americans now 
passed the bridge, and formed immediately on a small 
eminence, to the left of the road, as they were situated, and 
a short cannon shot from that on which the English were 
collected. There they remained some time watching each 
other; but the sight of some houses on fire irritated the 
Americans, and determined them to march towards the 
English, who then retreated by the Lexington road, which 
forming an elbow, the Americans, who knew the country, 
took the string of the bow, and got up with them before 
they advanced a mile. It was here the retreating fight be- 
gan, of which everybody has seen the accounts, and which 
continued to Lexington, where the English were joined by 
the reinforcements under the command of Earl Percy. 



490 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

It was on the morning of the 8th that I examined the 
field of battle at Concord, which took me up till half past 
ten, when I resumed my journey. Ten miles from Con- 
cord is Bellerika, a pretty considerable township; the 
country here was less fertile, and the road rather stony. 
We halted at South Andover, five miles beyond Billerika, 
at a bad inn, kept by one Forster; his wife had some beau- 
tiful children, but she appeared disordered, and I thought 
her rather drunk. She shewed me, with much importance, 
a book her eldest daughter was reading, and I found it, to 
my no small surprise, to be a book of prayers in Italian. 
This daughter, who was about seventeen, repeated also a 
prayer in the Indian language, of which she understood not 
a word, having learnt it accidentally from an Indian ser- 
vant ; but her mother thought all this admirable. We con- 
tented ourselves with baiting our horses in this wretched 
alehouse, and setting out at half past one, travelled 
through South and North Andover. North-Parish, or 
North Andover, is a charming place, where there are a 
great number of very handsome houses, a quantity of 
meadows, and fine cattle. Almost on quitting this long 
township, you enter Bradford, where night overtook us, 
and we travelled two or thi'ee miles in the dark before 
we reached Haverhill ferry. It was half past six before 
we had crossed it, and got to Mr. Harward's inn, where we 
had a good supper, and good lodgings. At Haverhill, the 
Merimack is only fit for vessels of thirty tons, but much 
larger ones are built there, which are floated down empty 
to Newbury. Three miles above Haverhill are falls, and 
higher up the river is onl^- navigable for boats. The trade 
of this town formerly consisted in timber for ship-building 
which has been suspended since the war. It is pretty con- 
siderable and tolerably well built; and its situation, in the 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 491 

form of an amphitheatre on the left shore of the Meri- 
maek, gives it many agreeable aspects. 

[The author visited Exeter and speaks of the beauty of 
tiie country between Haverhill and Portsmouth. He went 
on board the ship of war "Auguste" and gives a descrip- 
tion of the harbor and fortifications. He speaks of a bad 
explosion and some loss of life on the "Auguste, caused 
by thunder." He then visited Newbury, Salem and on 
arriving at Boston attended a, "subscription ball." On his 
way to Cambridge he traversed the field of battle of Bun- 
ker's Hill and crossed the old entrenched camp at Cam- 
bridge.] 

On the 17th, I breakfasted witii several artillery offi- 
cers, who had arrived with their troops; their corps hav- 
ing greatly preceded the rest of the infantry, in order to 
have time to embark their cannon, and other stores. At 
eleven I mounted my horse, and went to Cambridge, to pay 
a visit to Mr. Willard, the President of that University. 
My route, though short, it being scarce two leagues from 
Boston to Cambridge, required me to travel both by sea 
and land, and to pass through a field of battle, and an in- 
trenched camp. It has been long said that the route to 
Parnassus is difficult, but the obstacle we have there to 
encounter, are rarely of the same nature with those which 
were in my way. A view of the chart, of the road, and 
town of Boston, will explain this better than the most 
elaborate description. The reader will see that this town, 
one of the most ancient in America, and which contains 
from twenty to five and twenty thousand inhabitants, is 
built upon a peninsula in the bottom of a large bay, the 
entrance of which is difficult and in which lie dispersed a 
number of islands, that serve still further for its defence; 
it is onlv accessible one way on the land side, by a long 



492 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

neck or tongue of land, surrounded by the sea on each side, 
forming a sort of causeway. To the Northward of the 
town is another peninsula, which adheres to the opposite 
shore by a very short rock, and on this peninsula is an 
eminence called Bunker's-hill, at the foot of which are the 
remains of the little town of Charlestown. Cambridge is 
situated to the North-west, about two miles from Boston; 
but to go there in a straight line, you must cross a pretty 
considerable arm of the sea, in which are dangerous shoals, 
and upon the coast morasses difficult to pass; so that the 
only communication between the whole northern part of 
the Continent, and the to-mi of Boston, is by the ferry of 
Charlestown, or that of Winissimet. The road to Cam- 
bridge lies through the field of battle of Bunker's-hill. 
After an attentive examination of that post, I could find 
nothing formidable in it; for the Americans had scarcely 
time to form a breastwork, that is, a slight retrenchment 
without a ditch, which shelters the men from musquet 
shot, as high as the breast. Their obstinate resistance 
therefore, and the prodigious loss sustained by the English 
on this occasion, must be attributed solely to their valour. 
The British troops were repulsed on all sides, and put in 
such disorder, that General Howe is said to have been at 
one time left single in the field of battle, until General Clin- 
ton arrived with a reinforcement, and turned the left of the 
American posiition, which was weaker and more accessible 
on that side. It was then that General Warren, who was 
formerly a physician, fell, and the Americans quitted the 
field, less perhaps from the superiority of the enemy, than 
from knowing that they had another position as good, be- 
hind the neck which leads to Cambridge ; for, in fact, that 
of Bunker's-hill was useful only inasmuch as it commanded 
Charlestown ferry, and allowed them to raise batteries 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 493 

against the towu of Boston. But was it necessary to ex- 
pose themselves tu the destruction of their own houses, 
and the slaughter of their fellow citizens, only that they 
might harass the English iu any asylum which sooner or 
later they must abandon? Besides that, the Americans 
could not occupy the heights of Bunker's-hill, the sloops 
and frigates of the enemy taking them iu tlauk the instant 
they descended from them. Such, however, was the effect 
of this memorable battle, in every respect honourable for 
our allies, that it is impossible to calculate the conse- 
quences of a complete victory. The English, who had up- 
wards of eleven hundred men killed and wounded, in which 
number were seventy oflicers, might possibly have lost as 
many more in their retreat, for they were under the neces- 
sity of embarking to retium to Boston, which would have 
been almost impracticable, without the protection of their 
shipping ; the little army of Boston would in that case have 
been almost totally destroyed, and the towu must of course 
have beeu evacuated. But what would have been the re- 
sult of this? Independence was not then declared, and the 
road to uegociation was still open; an accommodation 
might have taken place between the ^lotlier (.'ountry and 
her colonies, and animosities might have subsidtnl. The 
separation not having been compleated, England would 
not have expended one hundred millions; she would have 
preserved Miuoi-ca and the Floridas; not would the bal- 
ance of Europe, aud the liberty of the seas have been re- 
stored. For it must in general be admitted, that England 
alone has reason to coniidain of the manner in which the 
fate of arms has decided this long quarrel. 

Scarcely have you passed tlie neck which joins (he 
peninsula to the Continent, and whicii is heninHHl in on 
one side by the mouth of the Mystick, and on the other by 
a bay called Milk Pond, than you see the ground rising 



494 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

before you, and you distinguish on sevei-al eminences the 
principal forts which defended the entrenched camp at 
Cambridge. The left of this camp was bounded by the ' 
river, and the right extended towards the sea, covering 
this town which lay in the rear. I examined several of 
these forts, particularly that of Prospecthill. All these 
entrenchments seemed to me to be executed with intelli- 
gence; nor was I surprised that the English respected 
them the whole winter of 177(3. The American troops, 
who guarded this post, passed the winter at theii- ease, 
in good barracks, well flanked, and well covered ; they had 
at that time abundance of provisions, whilst the English, 
notwithstanding their communication with the sea, were 
in want of vai'ious essential articles, particularly fire- 
wood and fresh meat. Their government, not expecting 
to find the Americans so bold and obstinate, provided too 
late for the supply of the little army at Boston. This 
negligence, however, they endeavoured to repair, and 
spared nothing for that purpose, by freighting a great 
number of vessels, in wliich they crowded a vast number 
of sheep, oxen, hogs, and poultry of every kind ; but these 
ships, sailing at a bad season of the yeai", met with gales 
of wind in going out of port and were obliged to throw 
the greatest part of their cargoes into the sea; insomuch 
that, it is said, the coast of Ireland, and the adjoining 
ocean, were for some time covered with herds, which un- 
like those of Proteus, were neither able to live amidst the 
waves, nor gain the shore. The Americans, on the con- 
trary, who had the whole continent at their disposal, and 
had neither exhausted their resources, nor their credit, 
lived happy and tranquil in their barracks, awaiting the 
succours promised them in the spring. Those succours 
were offered and furnished with much generosity by the 
Southern Provinces; provinces, with which, under the 



PERFORMED BY M. Db CHASTELLUX 495 

English Government, they bad uo couuexiou whatever, 
and which were more foreign tu them than the mother 
countiy. It was ah-eady a great mark of confidence, there- 
fore, on the part of the New Englauders, tu count upon 
that aid which was otl'ered by generosity alone; but who 
could forsee that a citizen of Virginia, who, for the first 
time, visited these northern countries, not only should be- 
come their liberator, but should even know how to erect 
trophies, to serve as a base to the great edifice of Liberty? 
Who could forsee that the enterprise, which failed at Bun- 
ker's Hill, at the price even of the blood of the brave War- 
ren, and that of a thousand English sacrificed to his valour, 
attempted on another side and conducted by General 
Washington, should be the work only of one night, the 
etl'ect of a simi^le manaeuvre, of a single combination? 
Who could forsee, in short, that the English would be com- 
pelled to evacuate Boston, and to abandon their whole 
artillery and all their ammunition, without costing the 
life of a single soldier? 

To attain this important object, it was only necessary 
to occupy the heights of Dorchester, which formed another 
peninsula, the extremity of which is within cannon shot of 
Boston, and in a great measure commands the port ; but it 
required the eye of General Washington to appreciate the 
importance of this post; it required his activity and reso- 
lution to undei-take to steal a march upon the English, 
who surrounded it with their shipping, and who could 
transport troops thither with the greatest facility. But it 
required still more; nothing short of the power, or rather 
the great credit he had already acquired in the army, 
and the discipline he had established, were requisite to 
effect a general movement of the troops encamped at Cam- 
bridge and at Roxbury, and carry his plan into execution, 
in one night, with such celerity and silence, as that the 



496 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

English should only be apprized of it, on seeing, at the 
break of day, entrenchments already thrown up, and bat- 
teries ready to open upon them. Indeed he had carried 
his precautions so far, as to order the whips to be taken 
from the waggoners, lest their impatience, and the diffi- 
culty of the roads might induce them to make use of them, 
and occasion an alarm. It is not easy to add to the aston- 
ishment naturally excited by the principal, and above all, 
by the early events of this memorable war; but I must 
mention, that whilst General Washington was blockading 
the English in Boston, his army was in such want of pow- 
der as not to have three rounds a man ; and that if a bomb- 
ketch had not chanced to run on shore in the road, con- 
taining some tons of powder, which fell into the hands of 
the Americans, it would have been impossible to attempt 
the affair of Dorchester ; as without it, they had not where- 
withal to sex've the batteries proposed to be erected. 

I apprehend that nobody will be displeased at this 
digression; but should it be otherwise, I must observe, 
that in a very short excursion I had made to Boston, eigh- 
teen months before, having visiting all the retrenchments 
at Roxbury and Dorchester, I thought it unnecessary to 
return thither, and I was the less disposed to it from the 
rigour of the season, and the short time I had to remain 
at Boston. But how is it possible to enter into a few de- 
tails of this so justly celebrated town, without recalling 
the principal events which have given it renown But 
how, above all, resist the pleasure of retracing everything 
which may contribute to the glory of the Americans, and 
the reputation of the illustrious Chief Nor is this stray- 
ing from the temple of the Muses, to consider objects 
"which must long continue to constitute their theme. Cam- 
bridge is an asylum worthy of them ; it is a little town in- 
habited only by students, professors, and the small num- 



I 



PERFORMED BY M. De (^AaTELLUX 497 

ber of sei'vauts and workmeu wlioni they employ. The 
building destined for the Uaivei-sity is uoble aud commaud- 
ing, though it be not yet compleated; it already contains 
three handsome halls fur the classes, a cabinet of natural 
philosophy, and instruments of every kind, as well for 
astronomy, as for the sciences dependant on mathematics ; 
a vast gallery, in which the library is placed, and a chapel 
corresponding with the grandeur and magnificence of the 
other parts of the edifice. The library, which is already 
numerous, aud which contains handsome editions of the 
best authors, and well bound books, owes its richness to 
the zeal of several citizens, who, shortly, before the war, 
formed a subscription, by means of which they began to 
send for books from England. But as their fund was very 
moderate, they availed themselves of their connections 
with the mother country, and, above all, of that generosity 
which the English invariably display whenever the object 
is, to propagate useful knowledge in any part of the world. 
These zealous citizens not only wrote to England, but made 
several voyages thither in search of assistance, which they 
readily obtained. One individual alone, made them a pi-es- 
ent to the amount of 500 sterling; I wish I could recollect 
his name, but it is easy to discover it. It is inscribed in 
letters of gold over the compartment containing the books 
which he bestowed, and which form a particular library. 
For it is the rule, that each donation to the University 
shall remain as it was received, and occupy a place apart; 
a practice better adapted to encourage the generosity of 
benefactors, and to express gratitude, than to facilitate the 
librarian's labour, or that of the students. It is probable 
therefore, that, as the collection is augmenting daily, a 
more commodious arrangement will be adopted. 

The professors of the University live in their own 
houses, and the students board in the town for a moderate 

Si 



498 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

price. Mr. Willard, who was just elected President, is also 
a member of the academy of Boston, to which he acts as 
Secretary' of the foreign corresijondence. We had already 
had some intercourse with each other, but it pleased me to 
have the opportunity of forming a more particular ac- 
quaintance with him ; he unites to great understanding 
and literature, a knowledge of the abstruse sciences, and 
particularly astronomy. I must here repeat, what I have 
observed elsewhere, that in comparing our universities and 
our studies in general, with those of the Americans, it 
would not be to our interest to call for a decision of the 
question, which of the two nations should be considered an 
infant people. 

The short time I remained at Cambridge allowed me to 
see only two of the professors, and as many students, whom 
I either met with, or who came to visit me at Mr. Willard's. 
I was expected to dine with our Consul, Mr. de Letombes, 
and I was obliged to hurry, for they dine earlier at Boston 
than at Philadelphia. I found upwards of twenty persons 
assembled, as well French officials, as American gentle- 
men, in the number of whom was Doctor Cooper, a man 
justly celebrated, and not less distinguished by the graces 
of his mind, and the amiableness of his character, than by 
his uncommon eloquence, and patriotic zeal. He has al- 
ways lived in the strictest intimacy with Mr. Hancock, 
and has been useful to him on more than one occasion. 
Amongst the Americans attached by political interest to 
France, no one has displayed a more marked attention to 
the French, nor has any man received from nature a char- 
acter more analogous to their own. But it was in the ser- 
mon he delivered, at the solemn inauguration of the new 
constitution of Massachusetts, that he seemed to pour 
forth his whole soul, and develop at once all the resources 
of his genius, and every sentiment of his heart. The 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 4U9 

French uatiou, aud the iiiuuarch who guverus it, are there 
characterized aud celebrated with equal grace aud delicacy. 
Never was there so hapjjy, and so poiguaut a mixture of 
religiou, politics, philosophy, morality, aud eveu of litera- 
ture. This discourse must be kuowu at Paris, where I seut 
several copies, which I have uo doubt will be eagerly trans- 
lated. I hope ouly that it will escape the avidity of those 
hasty writers, who have made a sort of property of the 
present revolution; nothing, in fact, is more dangerous 
than these precipitate traders in literature, who pluck the 
fruit the moment they have any hopes of selling it, thus 
depriving us of the pleasure of enjoying it in its maturity. 
It is for a Sallust aud a Tacitus alone to transmit in their 
works, the actions aud harangues of their contemporaries; 
nor did they write till after some great change in affairs 
had placed an immense interval between the epoch of the 
history they transmitted, and that iu which it was com- 
posed; the art of printing too, being then unknown, they 
were enabled to measure, aud to moderate, at pleasure, the 
publicity they thought proper to give to their productions. 
Doctor Cooper, whom I never quitted without regret, 
proposing to me to drink tea with him, I accepted it witii- 
out difficulty. He received me in a very small house, fur- 
nished in the simplest manner, everything in it bore the 
character of a modesty which proved (he feeble foundation 
of those colonies, so industriously proitagated by the Eng- 
lish, who lost no occasion of insinuating that his zeal for 
the Congress and their allies had a very different motive 
from patriotism and the genuine love of liberty. A visit to 
Mrs. Tudor, where Mr. de Vaudreuil aud I had again the 
pleasure of an agreeable conversation, iuterrupted from 
time to time by pleasing music, rapidly brought round the 
hour for repairing to the club. This assembly is held 
every Tuesday, in rotation, at the houses of the different 



500 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

members who compose it; this was the day for Mr. Rus- 
sel, an honest merchant who gave us an excellent recep- 
tion. The laws of the club ai'e not straitening, the number 
of dishes for supper alone are limited, and there must be 
only two of meat, for supper is not the American repast. 
Vegetables, pies, and especially good wines, are not spared. 
The hour of assembling is after tea, when the company 
play at cards, converse, and i*ead the public papers, and 
sit down to table between nine and ten. The supper was 
as free as if there had been no strangers, songs were given 
at table, and a Mr. Steward sung some which were very 
gay, with a tolerable good voice. 

[After enjoying further social amenities here and play- 
ing at whist, which he observes they have a rule not to 
play for monej', Chastellux malces some "observation on 
the town," speaks of the enormous tax the necessities of 
war imposed upon the commerce of Boston. He departed 
and joined the troops at Providence, notes the improve- 
ments of the country through which he traveled two years 
before and arrived at Newborough.] 

The 5th we set out at nine, and rode, without stopping, 
at Fish-kill, where we arrived at half past two, after a 
four and twenty miles journey through very bad roads. I 
alighted at Boerorn's tavern, which I knew to be the same 
I had been at two years before, and kept by Mrs. Egre- 
mont. The house was changed for the better, and we made 
a very good supper. We passed the North-river as night 
came on, and arrived at six o'clock at Newburgh, where I 
found Mr. and Mrs. Washington, Colonel Tilgham, Colonel 
Humphreys and Major Walker. The head quarters of 
Newburgh consist of a single house, neither vast nor com- 
modious, which is built in the Dutch fashion. The largest 
room in it (which Avas the proprietor's parlour for his 
family, and which General Washington has converted into 



PERFORMED BY M. De CHASTELLUX 501 

his dining-room) is in truth tolerably spacious, but it has 
seven doors, and only one window. The chimney, or rather 
the chimney back, is against the wall ; so that there is in 
fact but one vent for the smoke, and the fire is in the room 
itself. I found the company assembled in a small room 
which served by way of pai'lour. At nine supper was 
served, and when the hour of bed time came, I found that 
the chamber, to which the General conducted me, was 
the very parlour I speak of, wherein he had made them 
place a camp-bed. We assembled at breakfast the next 
morning at ten, during which interval my bed was folded 
up, and my chamber became the sitting-room for the whole 
afternoon; for American manners do not admit of a bed 
in the room in which company is received, especially when 
there are women. The smallness of the house, and the dif- 
ficulty to which I saw that Mr. and Mrs. Washington had 
put themselves to receive me, made me apprehensive lest 
Mr. Rochambeau, who was set out the day after me, by 
travelling as fast, might arrive on the day that I remained 
there. I resolved therefore to send to Fish-kill to meet 
him, with a request that he would .stay there that night. 
Nor was my precaution superfluous, for my express found 
him already at the landing, where he slept, and did not 
join us till the next morning as I was setting out. The 
day I remained at headquarters was passed either at table 
•or in conversation. General Hand, Adjutant General, 
Colonel Reed of New Hampshire, and ]\Iajor Graham dined 
with us. On the 7th I took leave of General Washington, 
nor is it difficult to imagine the pain this separation gave 
me; but T have too much pleasure in recollecting the real 
tenderness with which it affected him, not to take a pride 
in mentioning it. 

[Passing through Eastern Pennsylvania touching at 
Chester, Easton, Bethlehem, he arrived on the morning of 



502 TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA 

December 12 at Montgomery, and "passing through White- 
marsh and Germantown, they arrived towards five at Phil- 
adelphia." The traveler was very much interested in the 
Moravian settlement which he studied at Bethlehem. His 
last journal is dated at Philadelphia December 24, 1782.] 



A RAMBLE OF 
SIX THOUSAND MILES 

Through the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 




By 

S. A. FERRALL. ESQ. 



504 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 



PREFACE 

The few sketches contained in this small volume were 
not originally intended for publication — they were written 
solely for the amusement of my immediate acquaintances, 
and were forwarded to Europe in the shape of letters. 
Subsequent considerations have induced me to publish 
them; and if they be found to contain remarks on some 
subjects, which other travellers in America have passed 
over unnoticed, the end that I have in view will be fully 
answered. 

Although I remained in the seaboard cities sufficiently 
long to have collected much information ; yet knowing that 
the statistics of those places had been so often and so ably 
set before the public, I felt no inclination to trouble my 
friends with their repetition. 

In Europe, the name of America is so associated with 
the idea of emigration, that to announce an intention of 
crossing the Atlantic rouses the interfering propensity of 
friends and acquaintances, and produces such a torrent 
of queries and remonstrances, as will require a consider- 
able share of moral courage to listen to and resist. All 
are on the tiptoe of expectation, to hear what the induce- 
ments can possibly be for travelling in America. America ! 
everyone exclaims — ^what can you possibly see there? A 
country like America — little better than a mere forest — 
the inhabitants notoriously far behind Europeans in re- 
finement — filled with wild Indians, rattlesnakes, bears, and 
backwoodsmen ; ferocious hogs and iigly negroes ; and every 
other species of noxious and terrific animal ! 

Without, however, any definite scientific object, or in- 
deed any motive much more important than a love of 
novelty, I determined on visiting America; within whose 



IN THE UNITED STATES 505 

wide extent all the elements of society, civilized and un- 
civilized, were to be found — where the great city could be 
traced to the infant town — where villages dwindle into 
scattered farms — and these to the hog-house of the solitary 
backwoodsman, and the temporary wigwam of the wander- 
ing Pawnee. 

I have refrained nearly altogether from touching on 
the domestic habits and manners of the Americans, because 
they have been treated of by Captain Hall and others ; and 
as the Americans always allowed me to act as I thought 
proper, and even to laugh at such of their habits as I 
thought singular, I am by no means inclined to take ex- 
ception to them. 

[NOTE: — Like most of the English writers of those 
days, Ferrall was not particularly generous toward the 
"Americans" in his comments. The work was published 
in London and it will he noted the latest date quotation 
he gives, on page 513, is dated September, 1831. — The 
Publisher.] 



506 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 



FERRALL'S RAMBLES 

[As stated by Ferrall in his preface, in his "Eambles 
of 6000 Miles in America," although he had visited the sea- 
board cities of this country as well as the interior, he pass- 
es over any description of them for the reason that these 
places have been dwelt upon and described by many other 
travelers ; and it is for the same reason that the publisher 
passes over any reference he makes to other parts of this 
country and makes the selections he does from Ferrall's 
writings. De Warville and Chastellux in their works pre- 
sented in the proceeding pages of this volume, have covered 
the ground exceedingly well, and Ferrall in the selections 
chosen, treats of another locality and other places worthy 
of reproduction in such a work as this.] 

At Tonawanta I again took the canal-boat to Buffalo, 
a considerable town on the shores of lake Erie, and at the 
head of the canal navigation. There are several good 
buildings in this town, and some well-appointed hotels. 
Lake schooners, and steam and canal boats are here in 
abundance, it being an entreport for western produce and 
eastern merchandise. A few straggling Indians are to be 
seen skulking about Buffalo, like dogs in Cairo, the victims 
of the inordinate use of ardent spirits. 

From Buffalo I proceeded in a steamer along lake Erie, 
to Portland in Ohio, now called Sandusky City; the dis- 
tance of 24';miles. After about an hour's sail, we entirely 
lost sight of the Canadian shores. The scenery on the 
American side is very fine, particularly from Presqu Isle 
onward to the head of the lake, or rather from its magni- 
tude, it might be termed an inland sea. 

On landing at Sandusky, I learned that there were 
several Indian reserves between that place and Columbus, 
the seat of government. This determined me on making a 

Note — Presqu Isle (Erie, Pa.). 



IN THE UNITED STATES 507 

pedestrian tour to that citj'. Accordingly, having for- 
warded my luggage, and made other necessary arrange- 
ments, I commenced my peregrinations among the Aho- 
rigines. 

The woods in the upper part of Ohio, nearest the lake, 
are tolerably open, and occasionally interspersed with 
sumach and sassafras; the soil somewhat sandy. I met 
with but few Indians, until my arrival at Lower SandTisky, 
on the Sandusky river; here there were several groups re- 
turning to their reserves, from Canada, where they had 
been to receive the annual presents made them by the 
British government. In the next county (Seneca) there 
is a reservation of about three miles square, occupied by 
Senecas, Cayugas, and part of the Iroquois or six nations, 
once a most powerful confederation amongst the red men. 

[Note: DeWitt Clinton, speaking of the Iroquois, or 
five nations, says, "Their exterior relations, general in- 
terests, and national affairs, were conducted and superin- 
tended by a great council, assembled annually in Onon- 
daga, the central canton, composed of the chiefs of each 
republic ; and eighty sachems were frequently convened 
at this national assembly. It took cognizance of the great 
questions of war and peace; of the affairs of the tributary 
nations, and their negociations with the French and Eng- 
lish colonies. All their proceedings were conducted with 
great deliberations, and were distinguished for order, de- 
corum, and solemnity. In eloquence, in dignity, and in 
all the characteristics of profound policy, they surpassed 
the assembly of feudal barons, and perhaps were not in- 
ferior to the great Amphictyonic Council of Greece."] 

In Crawford county there is a very large reserve be- 
longing to the Huron or Wyandot Indians. These, though 
speaking a dialect of the Iroquois tongue, are more in 
connexion with the Delawares than with the Iroquois. The 
Wvandots are much esteemed by their white neighbours. 



Note — Lower Sandusky (rremont, Ohio). 



508 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

for probity and good behaviour. They dress very taste- 
fully. A handsome chintz shawl tied in the Moorish 
fashion about the head — ^leggings of blue cloth, reaching 
half way up the thigh, sewn at the out.side, leaving a hem 
of about an inch deep — mocassins, or Indian boots, made 
of deer skin, to fit the foot close, like a glove — a shirt or 
tunic of white calico and a hunting shirt, or frock, made 
of strong blue figured cotton or woollen cloth, with a small 
fringed cape, and long sleeves — a tomahawk and scalping 
knife stuck in a broad leather belt. Accoutered in this 
manner, and mounted on a small hardy horse, called here 
an Indian pony, imagine a tall, athletic, brown man, with 
black hair and eyes — the hair generally plaited in front, 
and sometimes hanging in long wavy curls behind — 
aquiline nose, and fearless aspect, and you have a fair idea 
of the Wyandot and Cayuga Indian. The Senecas and 
Oneidas whom I met with, were not so handsome in gen- 
eral, but as athletic, and about the same average height — 
five feet nine or ten. 

The Indians here, as everywhere else, are governed by 
their own laws, and never have recourse to the whites to 
settle their disputes. That silent unbending spirit, which 
has always characterized the Indian, has alone kept in 
check the rapacious disposition of the whites. Several 
attempts have been made to induce the Indians to sell 
their lands, and go beyond the Mississippi, but hitherto 
without effect. The Indian replies to the fine speeches 
and wily language of the whites, "We hold this small bit 
of land, in the vast country of our fathers, by your writ- 
ten talk, and it is noted of our wampums — the bones of 
our fathers lie here, and we cannot forsake them. You 
tell us our great father (the president) is powerful, and 
that his arm is long and strong — we believe it is so; but 



IN THE UNITED STATES 509 

we are in hopes that he will not strike his red children 
for their lands, and that he will leave us this little piece 
to live upon — the hatchet is long buried, let it not be dis- 
turbed." 

Jackson has lately published a manifesto to all the In- 
dian tribes within the limits of the United States, com- 
manding them to sell their reserves; and with few excep- 
tions, has been answered in this manner. 

A cii'cumstance occurred a few days previous to my 
arrival, in the Seneca reserve, which may serve to illustrate 
the determined character of the Indian. There were three 
brothers (chiefs) dwelling in this reservation. "Seneca 
John," the eldest brothei', was the principal chief of the 
tribe, and a man much esteemed by the white people. He 
died by poison. The chiefs in council, having satisfactorily 
ascertained that his second brother "Red-hand," and a 
squaw, had poisoned him, decreed that Red-hand must die, 
he himself would kill him, in order to prevent feuds arising 
in the tribe. Accordingly in the evening he repaired to the 
hut of Red-hand, and after having sat in silence for some 
time, said, "My best chiefs say, you have killed my father's 
son — they say my brother must die." Red-hand merely 
replied, "They say so;" and continued to smoke. After 
about fifteen minutes further silence. Black-snake said, 
pointing to the setting sun, "When he appears above those 
trees" — moving his arm round to the opposite direction — 
"I come to kill you." Red-hand nodded his head in the 
short significant style of the Indian, and said "Good." 
The next morning Black-snake came, followed by two 
chiefs, and having entered the hut, first put out the squaw, 
he then returned and stood before his brother, his eyes bent 
on the ground. Red-hand said calmly, "Has my brother 
come that I may die?" "It is so," was the reply. "Then," 



510 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

exclaimed Ked-liaud, grasping bis brother's left baud witb 
his right, aud dashing the shawl from his head, "Strike 
sure!'' In an instant the tomahawk was from the girdle 
of Black-snake aud buried iu the skull of the unfortunate 
man. He received several blows before he fell, uttering 
the exclamation "hugh," each time. The Indians placed 
him on the grass to die, where the backwoodsman who told 
me the story, saw him after the lapse of two hours, and life 
was not then extinct — with such tenacity does it cling to 
the body of an Indian. The scalping knife was at length 
passed across his throat, and thus ended the scene. 

From Sandusky city, iu Huron county, I passed into 
Sandusky county, and from thence through Seneca county. 
These three counties are entirely woodlands, with the ex- 
ception of a few small prairies which lay eastward of my 
course. The land is generally fertile. Some light sandy 
soil is occasionally to be met with, which produces more 
quickly than the heavier soil, but not so abundantly. I 
saw in my travels through these counties a few persons 
who were ill of ague-fever, as it is here called. The pre- 
valence of this disease is not to be attributed to a general 
unhealthiness of the climate, but can at all times be re- 
ferred to localities. 

I next entered Crawford count}', and crossed the Wyan- 
dot prairie, about seven miles in length, to Upper San- 
dusky. This was the first of those extensive meadows I 
had seen, and I was much pleased with its appearance — 
although this prairie is comparatively but small, yet its 
beauty cannot be surpassed; and the groves, and clusters 
of trees, iles de bois, with which it is interspersed, make 
it much resemble a beautiful domain. 

Attached to the Wyandot reserve (niue miles by six- 
teen) is that of the Delawares (three miles square). On 



IN THE UNITED STATES 511 

reaching Little Saudusky — Kahama's curse ou the towTi 
baptizers of America! — there are often five or six places 
named alike in one state ; upper and lower, little and big, 
great and small — and invariably the same names that are 
given to towns in one state, are to be found in every other. 
Then their vile plagiarisms of European names causes a 
Babelouish confusion of ideas, enough to disturb the 
equanimity of a "grisly saint;" and, with all humility, I 
disclaim having any pretensions to that character. I 
have frequently heard a long-legged, sallow-looking back- 
woodsman talk of having come lately from Paris, or Mecca, 
when instead of moaning the capital of La grande nati(>n, 
or the city of "the holy prophet," he spoke of some town 
containing a few hundred inhabitants, situated in the 
backwoods of Kentucky, or amidst the gloomy forests of 
Indiana. The Americans too speak in prospective, when 
they talk of great places; no doubt "calculating" that, one 
day, all the mighty productions of the old world will be 
surpassed by their ingenuity and perseverance. 

I reached Little Sandusky about one o'clock in the day, 
and there learned that there was a treaty being holden 
with the Delawares — accordingly I repaired to the I'ouncil 
ground. On a mat, under the shade of seven large elm 
trees, which in more prosperous times had waved over the 
warlike ancestors of this unfortunate people, were seated 
three old sachems, the principals of the tribe. The oldest, 
appeared to be nearly eighty years of age, the next about 
seventy, and the last about fifty. On a chair to the right 
of the Indians was seated a young "half-breed" chief, tlie 
son of one of the sachems by a white squaw ; and ou their 
left, seated on another chair, a Delaware dressed in the 
costume of the whites. This young man was iu the pay of 
the States, and acted as interpreter — he interpreting into 



512 A RAMBLE OP 6,000 MILES 

and from the Delaware language, and a gentleman of the 
mission (a Captain Walker) into and from the Wyandot. 
At a table opposite the Indians were seated the commis- 
sioners. 

The Lenni Lenape, or Delawares, as they were called 
by the English, from the circumstance of their holding 
their great "Council-fire" on the banks of the Delaware 
river, were once the most powerful of the several tribes 
that spoke the Delaware tongue, and possessed an im- 
mense tract of country east of the Alleghany mountains. 
This unfortunate people had been driven from place to 
place, until at last they were obliged to accept of any 
asylum from the Wyandot, whom they call their uncle; 
and now are forced to sell this, and go beyond the Missis- 
sippi. To a reflecting mind, the scene Avas touching beyond 
description. Here was the sad remnant of a great nation, 
who having been forced back from the original country of 
their fathers, by successive acts of rapacity, are now com- 
pelled to enter into a compact which obliges them, half 
civilized as they are, to return to the forest. The case is 
this — the white people, or rather Jackson and the south- 
erns, say, that the Indians retard improvement — precisely 
in the same sense that a brigand, when he robs a traveller, 
might say, that the traveller retarded improvement — that 
is, retarded his improvement, inasmuch as he had iu his 
pocket, what would improve the condition of the brigand. 
The Indians have cultivated farms, and valuable tracts of 
land, and no doubt it will improve the condition of the 
whites, to get possession of those farms and rich lands, for 
one-tenth of their salable value. The profits they have ac- 
crued to the United States from the systematic plunder of 
the Indians, are immense, and a great portion of the na- 
tional debt has been liquidated by this dishonest means. 



IN THE UNITED STATES 51^ 

( See note attached. ) dollars 

Amount of lands sold up to the year 1824. . . 44,229,837 
173,176,GUG acres unsold, estimated at one 
dollar per acre. The Congress price was 
then two dollars, hut was siilis('(iucntl,v re- 
duced to a dollar and a ([uarter, and is now 
T5 cents 173,170,60(5 



217,40(5,443 
Deduct value of annuities, expenses of survey- 
ing, etc., etc., being the amount of purchase- 
money paid for same 4,243,(532 



Profit arising to the United States from |iur- 

chases of land from the Indians 213,102,811 



Allowing 480 cents to the pound sterling, (he 
gross profit is L. 44, 408, 918.19s. 2d. 
The reserve of the Delawares contained nine s(|iian' 
miles, or 5,709 acres. For this it was agreed at the treaty, 
that they should he paid 0,000 dollars, and the value of the 
improvements, which I conceived to he a fair bargain. I 
was not then aware of the practice i»ursiied by the govern- 
ment, of making deductions, under vai-ious pretences, frnm 
the purehase-nu)ney, until the unfortunate Indian is left 
.scarcely anything in lieu of his lands, and says, that ''the 
justice of the while man is not like the justice of the red 
man," and that he cannot undei-stand the honesty of his 
Christian l)rother. The following e.xlract, taken from the 
New York American, wWl give some insight into the mode 
of dealing with tlie Indians. 

"The last of the Ottawas. — Manmee Bay, Ohio, Sept. 
3, 1831. — Mr. James B. (Jardiner has concluded a very im- 
portant treaty at iMaumee Bay, iu Jlichigan, for a cession 

33 



514 A RAMBLE OF G,000 MILES 

of all the lands owned by the Ottowa Indians in Ohio, 
about 50,000 acres. It was attended with more labour and 
greater difficulties than any other treaty made in this 
state; it was the last foothold which that savage, warlike, 
and hostile tribe held in their ancient dominion. The con- 
ditions of this treaty are very similar to those treaties of 
Lewistown and AVapaghkenetta, with this exception, that 
the surplus avails of their lands, after deducting seventy 
cents per acre to indemnify the government, are to be ap- 
propriated for paying the debts of their nation, which 
amount to about 20,000 dollars." (Query, what are those 
debts? — could they be the amouut of presents made them 
on former occasions?) "The balance, if any, accrues to 
the tribe. Seventy thousand acres of land are granted to 
them west of the Mississippi. [Note: Lauds west of the 
Mississippi which would be dear at ten cents per hundred 
acres.] "The Ottowas are the most depredating, drunken, 
and ferocious in Ohio. The reservations ceded by them are 
very valuable, and those on the Miami of the lake embi-ace 
some of the l)est mill privileges in the State." 

The Delawares were too few (being but fifty-one in 
number) to contend the matter, and therefore accepted of 
the proposed terms. At the conclusion of the conference, 
the Commissioners told them that they sliould have a bar- 
rel of flour, with the beef that had been killed for the oc- 
casion, which was received with "Yo-ha! yo-ha!" Then 
they said, laughing, "that they hoped their father would 
allow them a little milk,'' meaning whisky, which was ac- 
cordingly granted. They drank of this modern Lethe and 
forgot for a time their misfortunes. 

On the Osage fork of the Merrimack river, there are 
two settlements of the Delawares, to the neighbourhood 
of which these Indians intend to remove. 



Note — Miami of the Lake (Maumee riTer). 



IN THE UNITED STATES 515 

Near the Delaw.Tre reserve, I fell iu with a young In- 
diau, apparently about twenty years of age, and we jour- 
neyed together for several miles through the forest. He 
spoke English fluently, and conformed as far as his taste 
would permit him, to the habits of the whites. His dress 
consisted of a blue frock coat, blue cloth leggings, mocas- 
sins, a shawl tied about the head, and a red sasii round his 
waist. In conversation, I asked him if he were not a 
Cayuga. "No," says he, "an Oneida," placing both his 
hands on his breast — "a clear Oneida." 1 could not help 
smiling at his national pride; yet this is man; in every 
counti'y and condition he is proud of his descent, and loves 
the race to which he belongs. This Oneida was a widow's 
son. He had sixteen acres of cleared land, which with oc- 
casional assistance, he cultivated himself. \Vheu the pro- 
duce was sold, he divided the proceeds witii his mother, 
and then set out, and travelled until his funds were ex- 
hausted. He had just then returned from a tour to New 
York and Pbihulelphia, and had visited almost every city 
in the Union. As Guedeldk — that was tlie Oneida's name 
— and I were rambling along, we met a negro who was 
journeying in great haste — he stopped to inquire if we had 
seen that day, or the day previous, any niggerwoman go- 
ing towards the lake. I had passed the day before two 
waggon loads of negroes, which were being transported, by 
the state, to Canada. A local law prohibits the settlement 
of people of colour within the state of Ohio, wliicli was 
now put in force, although it iiad remained dormant for 
many years. 

There was much hardslii]) in the case of this jtoor fel- 
low. He had left bi.s family at Cincinnati, and had gone 
to work on the canal some eighteen or twenty Tiiiles dis- 
tant. He had been ab.sent aI)out a week ; and on his return 
he found his house empty, and was informed that his wife 



516 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

and children had been seized, and transported to Canada. 
The enforcement of this law has been since abandoned; 
and I must say, although the law itself is at vai'iance with 
the Constitution of the United States, which is paramount 
to all other laws, that its abandonment is due entirely to 
the good feeling of the people of Ohio, who exclaimed loud- 
ly against the cruelty of the measure. 

THROUGH OHIO 

From Little Sandusky, I passed through Marion, in 
Marion county. This town, like most others in Ohio, is 
advancing rapidly, and has at present several good brick 
buildings. The clap-boarded frame houses, which compose 
the great mass of habitations in the towns thi'oughout the 
western country, in general have a neat appearance. I 
here saw gazetted three divorces, all of which had been 
granted on the applications of the wives. One, on the 
ground of the liusband's alisenting himself for one year; 
another, on account of a l)l()w liaving been given; and the 
third for general neglect. There are few instances of a 
woman's being refused a divorce in the western country, 
as dislike very generally — and very rationally — supposed 
to constitute a sufficient reasou for granting the ladies 
their freedom. 

I crossed Delaware county into Franklin county, where 
Columbus, the Capital of the State, is situated. The roads 
from the lake to this city, \\ith few exceptions, passed 
through woodlands, and the country is but thinly settled. 
Beech, oak, elm, hickory, walnut, white-oak, ash, etc., com- 
pose the bulk of the forest trees ; and in the bottom lands, 
enormous sycamores are to be seen stretching their white 
arms almost to the very clouds. The land is of various 
denominations, but in general may be termed fertile. 



IN THE UNITED STATES 517 

Columbus, the capital of Ohio, is seated on the Scioto 
river, which is navif^able for keel and flat boats, and small 
craft, almost to its source; and by means of a portage of 
about four miles, to Sandusky river, which flows into Lake 
]']rie, a convenient communication is established between 
I he lakes, and the great western waters. The town is well 
laid out. The streets are wide; and the court-house, town- 
hall, and public offices, are built of brick. There are some 
good taverns here, and the tables d'hotes are Mell and 
abundantly supplied. 

There are land offices in every county seat, in which 
maps and plans of the county are kept. On these, the dis- 
posable ti-acts of country are distinguished from tliose 
which liav(» been disposed of. The puidiaser pays oue- 
fourtli of the purchase money, for which he gets a receipt — ■ 
this constitutes his title, until-, on paying the residue, he 
I'eceives a regular title deed. He may however pay the 
full amount at cmce, and receive a discount of, I believe, 
eight per cent. A township comprises thirty-six square 
miles (twenty three thousand and forty acres) in sections 
of six hundred and forty acres each, which ai-e subdivided, 
to accommodate purchasers, into quarter sections, or lots 
of a hundred and sixty acres. The sixteenth section is not 
sold, but reserved for tlie support of the poor, for educa- 
tion, and other public uses. There is no provision made 
ill this, or any other state, for tb(> ininistei's of religion, 
which is found to be highly Iioneficial to t!u> interests of 
practical Ohristianity. The congress price of land has 
lately been reduced from a dollai- and a ruiarfer per aci'c. 
to seventy-five cents. 

Oliio averages 1S4 miles in extent, from nortli to south, 
and 220 miles from east to west. Area, 40,000 square miles, 
or 25,000.000 acres. The population in 1790. was .^,000; 
in 1800. 45,30.5; in 1810, 230.7G0; and in 1820. 581.434. 



518 A RAMBLE OF 0,000 MILES 

White males, 300,609 ; white females, 275,955 ; free people 
of colour, 4,723 ; militia iu 1821, 83,247. The last census, 
takeu in 1830, makes Ihe population 937,079. 

Havinjij no more Indiau reserves to visit, I took the 
stage, and rumbled over cordui-oys, republicans, stumps, 
and ruts, until my ribs were literally sore, through Lon- 
don, Xenia, and Lebanon, to Cincinnati 

At Lebanon there is a large community of "Shaking 
(Quakers." They have establishments also in Mason county, 
aud at Covington, in Kentucky; their tenets are strictly 
Scriptural. They contend, that confessing their sins to 
one anotlier, is necessary to a state of perfection ; that the 
church of Christ ought to have all things in common ; that 
none of the members of this church ought to cohabit, but 
be literally virgins; and that to dance and be merry is 
their duty, Avhich pai-t of their doctrines they take from 
the thirty-first chaper of Jeremiah. 

Their ceremonies arc as follows: The men sit on the 
left hand, squatting on the floor, with their knees up, and 
their hands clasped round them. Opposite, in the same 
posture, sit the women, whose appearance is most cadaver- 
ous, and sepulchral, dressed in tlie Quaker costume. After 
sitting for some time in this hatching position, they all 
rise and sing a canting sort of hymn, during which the 
women keep time by elevating themselves on their toes. 
After the singing has ceased, a discouse is delivered by 
one of the elders; which being ended, the men pull off their 
coats and waistcoats. All being prepared, one of the 
brethren steps forward to the centre of the room, and in a 
loud voice gives out a tune, beating time with his foot, and 
singing lal lal la, Inl lal la, etc., being joined by the whole 
group, all jumping as high as possible, clapping their 
hands, and at intervals t\\'ir]lng round — but making rather 
ungraceful pirouettes; this exercise they continue until 



IN THE UNITED STATES 519 

they are coiupletelv exhausteil. In their ceremonials they 
much resemble the howling Dervishes of the Moslems, 
whom they far surpass in fanaticism. 

Within about ten miles of Cincinnati, we took up an 
old doctor, who was going to tliat city for the purpose of 
procuring a warrant against one of his neighbours, who, 
he had reason to believe, was concerned in the kidnapping 
of a free negro the night before. This is by no means an 
uncommon occurrence in the free states bordering the great 
rivers. The unfortunate black man, when captured, is 
huri'ied down to the river, thrust into a flat boat, and car- 
ried to tlie plantations. Such negroes are not exposed for 
sale in the public bazaars, as that would be attended with 
risk; but a false bill of sale is made out, and the sale is 
affected to some planter before they reach Orleans. There 
is, of course, always collusion between the buyei* and sel- 
ler, and the man is disposed of, generally, for half his 
value. 

These are certainly atrocious acts ; yet when a British 
subject reads such passage as the following, in the histories 
of East Indian government, he must feel that if they were 
ten times as infamous and numerous as they are in reality, 
it becomes not him to censure them. Bolts, who was a 
judge of the mayor's court of Calcutta, says, in his "Con- 
siderations on India Affairs," page 194, "With every 
species of monopoly, therefore, every kind of oppression to 
manufacturers of all denominations thronghont tlie wliole 
country has daily increased; insomuch that weavers, for 
daring to sell their goods, and Dallals and Pykars, for 
having contributed to. or connived at. sucli sales, have by 
the Company's agents, been frequently seized and impris- 
oned, confined in irons, fined considerable suras of money, 
flogged, and deprived, in the nu)st ignominious manner, of 
M-hat thev esteem most valuable, their castes. Weavers 



520 A KAMBLE OF (;,0()(l ALILEW 

also, upon tlieir inability to perform such agreements as 
have been forced from them by the Company's agents, uni- 
versally known in Bengal by the name of Mutchulcalis, 
haA^e had their goods seized and sold on the spot, to make 
good the deficiency; and the winders of raw silk, called 
Isagaards, Imve been treated also Avith such injustice, that 
instances liave been known of their cutting off theii- 
thumbs, to prevent their being forced to wind silk. This 
last kind of workmen Avere pursued Avith such rigour, dur- 
ing Lord Olive's late goA^ernment in Bengal, from a zeal 
for increasing the Company's investment of raAV silk, that 
the most sacred laws of society were atrociously violated ; 
for it was a common thing for the Company's seapoys to 
be sent by force of arms to break open the house of the 
Armenian merchants establishetl at Sydal)ad (who haA'e 
from time immemorial been largely concerned in the silk 
trade), and forcibly take the Nagaards from their Avork, 
and carry them aAvay to the English factory." 

As we approach Cincinnati the number of farms, and 
the extent of cultivated country, indicated the compara- 
tive magnitude of that city. Fields in this country have 
nothing like the rich appearance of those in England, and 
Ireland, being generally filled with half-rotten stumps, 
scattered here and there among the growing corn, produc- 
ing a most disagreeable effect. Then, instead of the fra- 
grant quickset hedge, there is a "Avorm fence" — the rudest 
description of barrier known in the country — which con- 
sists simply of bars, about eight or nine feet in length, laid 
zig-zag on each other alternately; the improA'ement on this, 
and the ne plus ultra in the idea of a Avest country former, 
is what is termed a "post and rail fence." This denomina- 
tion of fence is to be seen sometimes in the vicinity of the 
larger towns, and is constructed of posts six feet in length, 
sunk in the ground to the depth of about a foot, and at 



IN THE UNITED STATES 521 

eij2;ht ov ton feet distanee; the rails are then laid into mor- 
tises cut into the posts, at iuterA'als of about thirteen or 
fourteen inches, which completes the work. 

Cincinnati is built on a bend of tlie Ohio river, which 
takes here a semicircular form, and runs nearly west; it 
afterwards flows in a more southerly <lire(tion. A com- 
plete chain of hills, sweepiu};' from one jxiiiit of the l)cnd 
roiind to the other, encloses the city in a sort of amphi- 
theatre. The houses are mostly brick, and the streets all 
paved. There are several spacious and handsome mai'ket 
houses, which on market days are stocked with all kinds of 
provisions — indeed T think the market of Tincinnati is 
very iiearly the best supplied in the United States. There 
are many res])ectable public buildinjis here, such as a 
court-house, theatre, bazaar, (built by Airs. Trollope, but 
the speculation failed 1, and divers churches, in which you 
may see well-dressed women, and licar otliodox, heterodox, 
and every other species of docti-ine, ])roniul,i;ated and en- 
forced by streno-th of liin!j.s and lenjj;fh of arp:ument. with 
pulpit-drum accompaniment, and all other requisites ad 
captandum vulgus. 

The citv stands on two jihiins; one called the bottom, 
extends about 2(i0 yards back from the river, and is three 
miles in length, from Deer Creek to Mill Creek; the other 
is fifty feet higher than the first, and is called the Hill; 
this extends back about a mile. The bottom is sixty-five 
feet above low water mark. In ISl." the population was es- 
timated at G.OOO, and at i)resent it is sui)posed to be up- 
wards of 25,000 souls. P.y means of I he Dayton canal, 
which runs from that town nearly parallel with the "Riff 
Miami" river, a very extensive trade, for all kinds of pro- 
duce, is established with the b.-uk country. Steamers are 
constantly arriving at and dei)a)-tinfr from the wharf, 
on their passage up and down the river. This is one of 



522 A KAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

the many examples to be met with in the western country, 
of towns springing into importance within the memory of 
comparatively young men — a log-house, is still standing, 
which is shewn as the first habitation built by the back- 
woodsman, who squatte<l in the forest where now stands 
a handsome and flourishing city. 

A "husking HEE" — CAMP MEETING — MUSTER DAY. 

On arriving at Cincinnati, I learned that my friend 
T — — — had taken np his abode at a farm-house a few 



miles from town, where I accordingly repaired, and found 
him in good health, and initiated into all the manners, 
habits, customs, and diversions of the natives. Farm- 
ing people in Ohio work hard. The women have no sine- 
cures, being occupied the greater part of the day in cook- 
ing; as they breakfast at eight, dine at half-past twelve, 
and sup at six, and at each of these meals, meat, and other 
cooked dishes are served up. In farming they co-operate 
with each other. When a farmer wishes to have his corn 
husked, he rides round to his neighbours and informs them 
of his intention. An invitation of this kind was once 
given in my presence. The farmer entered the house, sat 
down, and after the customary compliments were passed, 
in the usual laconic style, the following dialogue took 
place. "I guess I'll husk my corn to-morrow afternoon." 
"You've a mighty heap this year." "Considerable of 
corn." The host at length said, "Well, I guess we'll be 
along" — and the matter was arranged. All these gather- 
ings are Tinder the denomination of "frolics" — such as 
"corn-husking frolic," "apple-cutting frolic," "quilting 
frolic," etc. 

Being somewbnt curious in respect to national amuse- 
ments, I attend a "corn-huskiug frolic" in the neighbour- 
hood of Cincinnati. The corn was heaped up into a sort 



IN THE UNITED STATES 523 

of hillock close bv the granary, on which the young 
"Ohioans" and ''buck-eyes" — the lasses of Ohio are 
called "buck-eyes" — seated themselves in pairs; while the 
old wives, and old farmers were posted around, doing lit- 
tle, but talking mudi. Now the laws of "corn-husking 
frolic" ordain, that for each red ear that a youth finds, 
he is entitled to exact a kiss from his partner. There were 
two or three young Irishmen in the group, and I could 
observe the rogues kissing half-a-dozen times on the same 
red ears. Each of them laid a red ear close by him, and 
after every two or three he'd liusk, up he'd hold the re- 
doubtable red-ear to the astonished eyes of the giggling 
lass who sat beside him, and most unrelentingly inflict 
the penalty. The "giule wives" marvelled much at the 
unprecedented number of red ears whicli that lot of corn 
contained; by-and-by, they tlmuglit it " a kind of curious" 
that the Irishmen should find so many of them — at length, 
the cheat was discovered, amidst roars of laughter. The 
old farmers said the lads were "wide-awake," and the 
"buck-eyes" declared that there was no being up to the 
])laguy Irishmen "no how," for they were always sure to 
have everything their own way. But the mischief of it 
was, the young Americans took the hint, and the poor 
"buck-eyes" got nothing like fair play for the remainder 
of that evening. All agreed that there wa.s more laugh- 
ing, and more kissing done at that, than had been known 
at any corn-husking frolic since "the Declaration." 

The farmers of Ohio are a class of people about equiv- 
alent to our second and third rate farmer, inasmuch as they 
work themselves, but possessing infinitely more independ- 
ence in their character and dejwrlment. Every white male, 
who is a citizen of the United States, and has resided one 
year in the state, and paid ta.xes, has a vote. The members 
of the legislature are elected annually, and those of the 



524 A KAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

senate biennially ; half of the members of the latter branch 
vacating their seats every year. The representatives, in 
addition to the qualifications necessary to the elector, must 
be twentj'-five years of age; and the senators must have 
resided in the state two years, and must be thirty years of 
age. The governor must be thirty years of age, an inhab- 
itant of the state four years, and a citizen of the United 
States twelve yeiirs, he is eligible only for six years in eight. 

Notwithstanding the numerous religious sects that are 
to be found in this country, there is nothing like sectarian 
animosity prevailing. This is to be attributed to the min- 
isters of religion being paid as they deserve, and no one 
class of people being taxed to support the religious tenets 
of another. 

The farmers of this state are by no means religious, in 
a doctrinal sense ; on the contrary, they appear indifferent 
on the matters of this nature. The girls sometimes go to 
church, which here, as in all Christian countries, is equiv- 
alent to the bazaars of Suiyrua and Bagdad ; and as the 
girls go, their "dads"' must pay the parson. The ^lethod- 
ists are very zealous, and have frequent "revivals" and 
"camp-meetings.'' T was at two of the latter assemblages, 
one in Kentucky, and the other in Ohio. I shall endeavour 
to convey some idea of this extraordinary species of reli- 
gions festival. 

To the right of Cheviot, which lies in a westerly direc- 
tion, about ten miles from Cincinnati, under the shade of 
tall oak and elm trees, the camp was ]ntched in a (juad- 
rangular forui. Three sides were occupied by teuts for the 
congregation, and tho fourth by booths for the ])reacliers. 
A little in advance befoi-e the liooths was erected a plat- 
form for the performing preacher, and at the foot of this, 
inclosed by forms, was a species of sanctuary, called "the 
l)enitents' pen." People of every denomination might be 



IN THE UNITED STATES 525 

seen here, allured bj- various morives. The girls, ilreSvSed iu 
all colours of the rain-bow, eougregated to display their 
persons and costumes; the j'ouug men came to see the 
girls, and considered it a sort of "frolic"; and the old wom- 
en, induced by fanaticism, and other motives, asscnd)led iu 
large numbers, and waited with patience for the pr()|)cr 
season of repentance. At the intervals between the "preach- 
ments," the young married and unmarried women prom- 
enaded arouud the tents, and their smiling faces formed 
a striking contrast to tlie demure countenances of their 
more experienced sisters, who, according to their age or 
temi)erament, descanted on, the folly, or condemned the 
sinfulness of such conduct. Some of those old dames, I 
was informed, were decoy birds, who shared the profits 
with the preachers, and attended all the •'(■am[)nieetings" 
in the country. 

The psalmodies were performed in tlic tnic Yankee 
style of nasal melody, and at proi)er and seasonable inter- 
vals the preachings were delivereil. The preachers managed 
their tones and discourses admirabh-, and certainly dis- 
played a good deal of tact in their calling. They use the 
most extravagant gestuics — astounding bellowings — a 
canting, hypoci'itical whine — slow and solemn, although 
by no means musical intonations, and tlie et ceteras that 
complete the (jualitications of a regular camp-meeling 
Methodist parson. During the exhortations the brothers 
and sisters are calling out — "Bless Uod ! Gloi-y! Glory! 
.\iiien ! (iod gi-ani ! JesusI etc." 

At the adjournment for dinnci', a knowing-looking gen- 
tleman was ajipointed to deliver an admonition. I ad- 
mired this person much for the ingenuity he displayed in 
introducing the subject of collection, and the religious obli- 
gation of each and every individual to contribute largely 
to the support of the preacher ami his brothers of the vine- 



526 A RAMBLE OF G,000 MILES 

yai'd. lie set forth the respectability of the comiiiunity, 
as evidenced by former coutributions, and thence inferred, 
most logically, that the continuance of that respectable 
character depended on the amount of that day's collection. 
A conversation took place behind me, during this part of 
the preacher's exhortation, between three young farmers, 
which, as being characteristic, I shall repeat. "The old 
man is wide awake, I guess." "I reckon he knows a thing 
or two.'' "I calculate he's been on board a flat afore now." 
"Yes, I guess a Yankee'd find it damned hard to sell liim 
hickory nutmegs." "It'd take a pretty smart man to poke 
it on to a parson anyhow." "I guess'd it'd come to dollars 
and cents in the end." 

After sunset the place was lighted up by beacon fires 
and candles, and the scene seemed to be changing to one of 
more deep and awful interest. Al)out nine o'clock the 
pi'eachers began to rally their forces — the candles were 
snuffed — fuel was added to the fires — clean straw was 
shaken in tlie "penitents' pen" — and every movement "gave 
dreadful note of preparation." At lengtli tlie hour was 
sounded, and the faithful forthwith assembled. A chosen 
leader commenced to harangue — lie bellowed — he roared — 
he whined — he shouted until he became actually hoarse, 
and the perspiration rolled down his face. Now, the faith- 
ful seemed to take the infection, and as if overcome by their 
excited feelings, flung themselves headlong on the straw 
into the penitents' pen — the old dames leading the way. 
The preachers, to the number of a dozen, gave a loud shout 
and rushed into the thick of the penitents. A scene now 
ensued that beggars all description. About twenty women, 
young and old, were lying in every direction and position, 
Avith caps and without caps, screeching, bawling, and kick- 
ing in hysterics, and profaning the name of Jesus. The 
preachers, on their knees amongst them, were with sten- 



IN THE UNITED STATES 527 

torian voices exhorting tliem to c-till louder iiud louder ou 
the Lord, until he came upon them ; whilst their attachees, 
with turned-up eyes and smiling countenances, were chant- 
ing hymns and shaking hands with the multitude. Some 
would now and then give a hearty laugh, which is an imli- 
cation of sui^erior grace, and is called "the holy laugh." 
The scene altogether was highly entertaining — penitents, 
parsons, caps, combs, and straw jumbled in one heterogen- 
eous mass, lay heaving on the ground, and formed at this 
juncture a grouping that might be done justice to by the 
pencil of Hogarth, or the pen of the author of Hudibras; 
but of which I fear an inferior i)eu or pencil must fail in 
conveying an adequate idea. 

The women were at length carried off, fainting, by their 
friends, and the preachers began to prepare for another 
scene. From the time of those faintings, the "new birth" is 
dated, which means a spiritual resurrection or revival. 

The scene that fcdlowed appeared to be a representa- 
tion of "the Last Supper." The preachers assembled round 
a table, and acted as disciples, whilst one of them, the 
leader, presided. The bread was consecrated, divided, and 
eaten — the wine served much after the same manner. The 
faithful, brothers and sisters, were now called upon to par- 
talie of the Sacrament — proper warning, however, being 
given to the gentlemen, that when the wine was handed to 
them they were not to take a drink, as that was quite un- 
necessai'y, as a small suji would answer every jmrpose. 
One gentleman seemed to have forgotten this hint, and at- 
tempted to lake rather more than a sup; but he was pre- 
vented by the administering preacher siuitchiug the goblet 
from him with both hands. .Many said they were obliged 
to substitute brandy and water for wine; but for this fact I 
cannot vouch. Another straw-tuml)ling scene now began; 
and, as if by way of variety, the inmates of five or six tents 



528 A RAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

got up similar scenes among themselves. The preachers 
left the field to join the tenters ; and, if possible, surpassed 
their previous exhibitions. The women were occasionally 
making confessions, pro bono publico, when sundry "back- 
slidings" were acknowledged for the edification of the mul- 
titude. We left the camp about two o'clock in the morning, 
when these poor fanatics were still in full cry. 

At Hell Town, near this place, there was an officers' 
muster held about this time. Every citizen exercising the 
elective franchise is also eligible to serve in the militia. 
There are two general musters held every year in each 
county, and several company meetings. Previous to the 
general muster there is an officers' muster, when the cap- 
tains and subalterns are put througli their exercise by the 
field officers. At this muster, which I attended, the supe- 
rior officei-s in command certainly appeared to be suffi- 
ciently conversant with tactice and explained the rational 
of each movement in a clear and concise manner; but the 
captains and subalterns went thi-ough their exercise some- 
what in the manner of the yeomen of the Green Island. 
When the gentlemen were placed in line, and attention was 
commanded, the General turned around to converse with 
his coadjutors — no sooner had he done this than about 
twenty heroes squatted a 1' ludien; no doubt deeming it 
more consistent, the day being warm, to sit than stand. 
On the commander observing these movements, which he 
seemed to think (]nite nnmilitary, he remonstrated and the 
warriors arose; l)nt, alas! the just man falls seven times a 
day, and the militia officers of Hamilton county seemed to 
think it not derogatory to their characters to squat five or 
six. The offence was repeated several times, and as often 
censured. They wheeled into battalions, and out of bat- 
talions, in most florious disorder — their straight lines were 
zig-zag. In marching abreast, they came to a fence next 



IN THE UNITED STATES 529 

the road — the taveru opposite, aud the temptation too 
gi-eat to be resisted — a number tlirew down their muskets — 
tumbled themselves over the fence, and rushed into the bar- 
room to refresh I An Aiuericau's heart sickens at restraint, 
aud nothing but necessity will oblige liiiu to observe dis- 
cipline. 

The question naturally arises, how would these forces 
resist the finely disciplineil troops of ICurope? The answer 
is short: If the Americans would cimseut to tight a 
"hataille raugee" on one of the prairies of Illinois, un- 
doubtedly the disciplined troops would prevail; but as 
neither their experience nor inclination is likely to lead 
them into such circumstances, my opinion is, that send the 
finest army Europe can produce into this country, in six 
months the forests, swamps, aud deadly rille, united will 
annihilate it — and let it be remembered, that at the battle 
of New Orleans, there were between two and three thou- 
sand British killed, and perhaps double that number 
wounded. In patriotism and i)ersonal courage, the Amer- 
icans are certainly not inferior to the iteo[)le of any nation. 

There had been lately throughout the States a good deal 
of excitement produced by an attempt, made by the Presby- 
terians, to stop the mails on the Sabbath. This party is 
headed by a Doctcu' Ely, of-IMiiladelphia, a would-be "lord 
spiritual," aud they made this merely as a trial of strength, 
preparatory to some other measures calodated to lead to 
a church establishment. Their designs, however, have been 
detected, and measures accordingly taken to resist them. 
At a meeting at which I was present at Cincinnati, the 
people were most enthusiastic, and souie very strong reso- 
lutions were passed, expressive of their abhorrence of this 
attempt to violate the constitution of America. 

Good farms within about three- or four miles of Cincin- 
nati, one-third cleared, are sold at from thirty to fifty dol- 

3( 



530 A KAMBLE OF 6,000 MILES 

lars per acre. Cows sell at from ten to twenty dollars. 
Horses, at from twenty-five to seventy-five and one hundred 
dollars. Sheep from two to thi*ee dollars. There are some 
tolerable flocks of sheep throughout this state, but they 
are of little value beyond the price of the wool, a most un- 
accountable antipathy to mutton existing among the in- 
habitants. 

Whilst on the banks of Lake Erie, having heard a great 
deal of conversations about the "lake fever," I made sev- 
eral inquiries fi'om the inhabitants on that subject, the re- 
sult of which confirmed me in the oijinion, that the shores 
of the lakes are quite as healthy as any other part of the 
country, and that here, as elsewhere, the disease arises 
from stagnant pools, swamps, and masses of decayed an- 
imal and vegetable matter, which are allowed to remain 
and accumulate in the vicinity of settlements. When at 
New York, I met an old and wealthy farmer, who was 
himself, although eighty yeai's of age, in the enjoyment of 
rude health. He informed me that he had resided in Can- 
ada, on the shores of Lake Erie, for the last fifty years, 
and that neither he nor any one of his family had ever been 
afflicted with fever of any description. The district in 
which he lived, was entirely free from local nuisances, and 
the inhabitants he represented as being as healthy as any 
in the United States. 

My observations, so far, lead me to conclude, that this 
climate agrees fully as well with Europeans as with the 
natives, indeetl that the susceptibility to fever and ague is 
greater in the natives than in Europeans of good habits. 
The cause I conceive to be this : the early settlers had to 
encounter swamps of the most pestilential description, and 
dense forest through which the sun's rays had never pene- 
trated, and which industry and cultivation have since made 
in a great measure to disappear. They notoriously suffered 



IN THE UNITED STATES 531 

imu'li from the ravages of malaria, and such as survived 
the baleful effects of tliis disease, escaped with impaired 
constitutious. Now this susceptibility to intermitteut 
fever, appears to me to have been transmitted to their 
descendants, and to act as the predisposing cause. I have 
seen English and Irish people who have been in the country 
upwards of thirty years, who look just as you would ex- 
l>ect to find persons of their age at home. 



[The End] 



TABLE OF CONTEXTS. 
To Travels in North America by M. De Chasteixux. 

Pago 

Present Publisher's Introductiou 321 

"Advertisement" fi*oni French Printer 323 

Visit to Hartford— Colonel Wadsworth— Vermont . . . 325 

Trip to West Point— Arnold and Andre 345 

Visit to LaFayette. . Totohaw Falls 360 

Chastellux Meets General Washington — Visits the 
General's Headquarters, and the Army — Por- 
trait of Washington 366 

Through New Jersey — Prince Town — Trenton 378 

Philadelphia — Mr. Morris. .Samuel Adams — The As- 
sembly — University 385 

Review of Military Operations Around Philadelphia — 

On the Battle of Brandywine 397 

Interview With Samuel Adams — Attends a Ball — The 

Churches — Germantown 404 

Review of LaFayette's Operations — President of Con- 
gress — Dines AVith Southern Delegates — A Sub- 
scription Ball — The Academy — Philadelphia — 

Retrospective 414 

Again Meets Washington — Trip Through New York — 
Visits General Schuyler — Albany — General 

Clinton 427 

Trip Through Virginia — Williamsburg — General Nel- 
son — Southern Sports 438 

Jefferson and Monticello 451 

Observation on Battle of Cowpens — Blue Ridges — 

Natural Bridge 460 

532 



Petersburg — Story of "Pocahunta" — The Randolphs 
Richmond — ( Jovernor Harrison — Southern 
Loyalty 4fi4 

Observation on the \'irginian Character — Effect of 
Political Environment — State Characteristics 
—The Church und the Revolution 47it 

Observation on American Covei-nment— The Arts and 

Sciences 485 

Journey Into New Hampshire, -Massachusetts, and 

Upper Pennsylvania -iSCt 

Cambridge University — Boston — r.unkcr Hill and 

Other Military Observations 491 

Last Meeting AVitli Washington — Arrival at Phila- 
delphia 500 



533 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Ferrall^s Rambi.es of 6,000 Mii-es in the United States. 

[Note.— The publisher of this volume selected from Fer- 
rall's travels of 6,000 miles, only such parts thereof as tell 
about a locality and matters not covered by DeWarville 
and Chastellux.] 

Author's Preface 504 

Note by Present Publisher 505 

Trip on Lake Erie — Buffalo — Pres(iu Isle (Erie Pa.) 
— Sandusky City — Lower Sandusky (Fremont, 
Ohio) — Upper Sandusky Ohio 506 

Tour on Foot from Sandusky Ohio to Columbus — The 

Indian Reservations — A Tragedy 506 

Huron, Sandusky, Seneca and Crawford Counties in 
Ohio — Upper Sandusky and JIarion Ohio — 
Columbus 510 

Stage Trip from Columbus to Cincinnati, Through 
London, Ohio. Xenia iuid Lebanon — The "Shak- 
ing Quakers'' 51S 

The Iniquity of Slavei'y — Cincinnati — A Pioneer 

Farmer 5U> 

A "Husking Bee' — Camp Meeting — Muster Day 522 



534 



INDEX TO De WARVILLE'S TRAVELS 



ADAMS, JOHN, 22, 73. 

ADAMS, SAMUEL, 74. 

ADULTERY, laws against, 61. 

AGRICULTURE, products, 6.5; so- 
cieties, 71; farmers, 79; charac- 
ter of stock, S3; fruit, 83; 
onions, export of. 84; in New 
York, 95; apples in New York. 
97; example of an American 
farmer, 114; a flouring mill, 
115; De Warville attends farm- 
er's Institute. Hessian fly dis- 
cussed, 144; description of a 
farm, 149; fences, 152; mildew, 
153; richness of Ohio valley, 
156; maple sugar, 180; tobacco 
raising in Virginia, 259; Shena- 
dore valley, 263; price of land, 
263; model farm, 268; manufac- 
turings, 275. 

ALBANY, N. Y., 94. 

ALEXANDRIA, MD., 253. 

ALLEGANIES, 280. 

AMELAND. SAMUEL, noted 
Quaker, 142. 

AJIERICA, letter on from M. 
Claviere to Brissot De Warville 
on political, civil and military 
state of, 33; second letter on 
soil, productions, cultivations 
of, 37; third letter on plan of 
colony in, 40; fourth letter on 
French emigration to, 45; fifth 
letter on land purchases, 47; 
debt of, 269; Nicaratrua canal 
project, 279; future prospects, 
284; duration of commonwealth, 
313. 

AMERICAN PEOPLE, manners 
of in Boston, 60; in the coun- 
try, 79; character of, 143; pro- 
gress, 280. 

ANDON, MASS., 268. 

ANIMALS, wild in Ohio valley, 
290. 

APPLES, 83, 90. 97, 268. 

BALTIMORE, MD., 252. 

BANK of New York, 106. 

BEAR, in Ohio valley, 290. 



BENEZET, ANTHONY, negro 
champion, 157. 

BEVERLY, MASS.. 266. 

BOSTON, description of, 59; to 
New York, from, 76; to New 
York from by Providence, 89; 
journey from to Portsmouth, 
265. 

BOWDOIN, GOV., manufacturer 
of cheese, 65; pres. of academy, 
69; rival of Hancock, 75. 

BRANDYWINE, 250. 

BREAD, price of in Philadelphia, 
147. 

BREWERIES, 275. 

BRIDGE toll, Beverly, 266. 

BRISSOT, Jean Pierre De War- 
ville, his biography, (see intro- 
ductory) p. 3; preface of trans- 
lator, 9; preface of author, 13; 
method of his observations, 49; 
on federal government, 49; 
government of states, 50; legis- 
lation, 50; commerce, 50; on 
banks, 51; taxes, 51; federal 
debt. 52; federal and individual 
expenses, 52; state of agricul- 
ture, etc., 53; private morals, 
54; start of his journey to 
America. 54; arrival at Boston, 
description of. ■">9. 

BRISTOL, PA., 111. 

BROOKFIELD, MASS., 80. 

BUCKWHEAT, 130. 

BUFFALO (probably Green) 
river, 287. 

BUFFALO in Ohio valley, 290. 

BUNKER HILL, 75. 

BURLING, WM., 159. 

BURLINGTON, N. J., Ill; return 
to, 112. 

BUSINESS, revival of after revo- 
lution. 194. 

BUTTER, price of in Philadelpia, 
147. 

C.\MBRIDGE, University of, 67; 
its buildings and library, 67; 
President Bowdoin, governor, 
69. 

CANAL, Nicaragua, project, 279. 



535 



CAPE AU GRES, 308. 

CAYAHOGA. 295. 

CAHOKIA, 306 . 

CHASTELLUX, M., on American 
prices, 98; reference to, 14S. 

CHEESE, 65, 275. 

CHEROKE, (Tennessee) river, 
290. 

CHESTER, PA., 250. 

CLAVIERE, M., first letter to M. 

De Warville, on observations on 
political, civil and military state 
of America, 33 : second letter, on 
soil, productions, cultivations, 
37; third letter, on plan of 
colony, 40; fourth letter on 
French emigration to America, 
45; fifth letter, on land pur- 
chases, 47; De Warville's obser- 
vations of, 49. 

CLERGYMEN, manner of support 
in Boston, 63. 

CLINTON, GOV., 100. 

CLUBS, in Boston, 65. 

COAL, in Pennsylvania, 276. 

COD FISHERY, Salem, 2C6. 

COFFEE, 273. 

COMMERCE, renewed activities 

after revolution, 194; free com- 
merce of tobacco desired, 261; 
tobacco market with England 
and Spain, 262: trade in masts, 
266: imports, 272; exports, 275: 
with East Indies, 277; extent 
of, 278. 

CONGRESS, visit to, 148; slavery 
agitation. 178; on internal com- 
merce, 283. 

CONNECTICUT, S3; growth iu, 
85. 

COPPER, 275. 

CORN, Indian, 114, 150. 

COTTON, 257; nifg., near Beverly, 
266; mfg., 275. 

COWS, 268. 

CREVECOUER, M. DE, 60; writ- 
ings on America, 83; on Rhode 
Island, 91; on New York, 94; on 
Dutch settlers, 109; on Warner 
Miflin, 116. 

CRIMES, in Virginia, 258. 

CUMBERLAND, 280. 

CURRENCY, tobacco, 259; scar- 
city causes manipulation, 260; 
paper money, 270. 



DEAN, SILAS, 83. 

DEBT, of U. S., 269. 

DELAWARE, 276. 

DETROIT, 311; Detroit river, 311. 

DISEASE, character of, 99; fev- 
ers, 109; of Pennsylvania, 202. 

DRESS, of Boston people, 61; of 
country people, 79; in New Hav- 
en and Connecticut, 84; extra- 
vagance of in New York, 97; 
further examples of in the coun- 
try, 114. 

DRY GOODS, importation, 273. 

DUER, COL., 104. 

DURHAM, CONN., 86, 

EDUCATIONAL, University of 
Camliridge, 67; at New Haven 
(Yale), 86; schools for negroes 
in Philadelphia. 157. 

ENGLISH PEOPLE, character of, 
143. 

EXPORTS, 275. 

FAIRFIELD, CONN., 86. 

FARMER, a true American speci- 
men of, 114; description of, 150; 
a pioneer example of, 197; pro- 
gress of, 200; well arranged, 
268. 

FENCES, 152. 

FINANCIAL, effect of paper 
money, 90; in Rhode Island, 92; 
condition in New York, 105; 
bank of New York, 106; paper 
money in New Jersey, 109; 
Temple Franklin on conditions, 
112; tobacco money, 259; results 
of small money scarcity, 260; 
debt of U. S., 269. 

FISHERIES, 275; fish in Ohio 
river, 291. 

FISHING, men. 287. 

FITCH, WM., steamboat inventor, 
142. 

FLOUR, 275. 

FORESTS, description of, 79. 

FOOD, 65; cost of, 80; in New 
York, 87; in Philadelphia, mar- 
ket, 146; price of in Philadel- 
phia, 147: in Virginia, 258; kind 
raised, 275. 

FORT CHARTRES, 305. 

FORT DETROIT, 311. 

FORT MASSIC, 290. 

FORT NIAGARA, 309. 

FORT PITT, 286, 288. 



i 



536 



FORT QUIATANON, 301. 

FOX, GEO., 159. 

FRANKFORD, PA., 111. 

FRANKLAND, 2S0. 

FRANKLIN. BENJ., visit to, 130; 
sketch of, 131; letter from, 138; 
on his death, 139; remark on 
Philadelphia, 146. 

FRANKLIN, lEMPLE, on Ameri- 
can conditions. 112. 

FRUIT, S3, 97, 14G, 26S. 

FURS, 275; western trade, 300; 
Detroit trade. 312. 

GAMBLING, in Boston, 05; in 
Virginia, 258. 

GAME, wild, in Ohio valley, 291. 

GAZETTES, publication of in 
Boston, 09: in Philadelphia, 192. 

GEORGETOWN, 253. 

GLASS, mfg., in Boston, 60; near 
Alexandria, 458; mfg., 275. 

GOVERNMENT, duration of U. S., 
313. 

GRAPES, 208. 

GREAT KANHAWA, river, 286, 
296. 

GRIFFIN, WM., President of Con- 
gress, 104. 

GRIFFITHS, M., secretary of ag- 
ricultural society. 145. 

HARTFORD, CONN., 81; mfg., 
276. 

HALSTON, 280. 

HAMILTON, ALEX., 101; descrip- 
tion of, 102. 

HANCOCK, JOHN, 74. 

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD., 251. 

HAY, price of in Philadelphia, 
147: crop of, 150. 

HEATH, GEN., 73. 

HELL-GATE, 93. 

HEMP, 275. 

HOGS, 83. 

HORSES, in Virginia. 257. 

HOSPITAL, visit to, 123; for the 
insane, 123. 

HUDSON, N. Y., 94. 

HUMPHREYS, COL., his poems, 

HUTCHINS, CAPT. THOMAS, 
geographer to congress, verifies 
description of Ohio valley, 286. 

ILLII^OIS, county, 303; richness 
of soil, 308. 

ILLINOIS, river, 303. 



IMPORTS, 272. 

INDIANA, 288. 

INDIAN, tribes, 301, 305. 

INSURANCE, mutual fire. 196. 

IRON, 275; on the Ohio, 290. 

.TAY, JOHN, 87, 103. 

JEFFERSON, THOMAS, 22, 101; 
on U. S. debt, 269. 

KASKASKIAS, river, 303. 

KENTUCKY, 280, 2S5. 

KENTUCKY, river, 297. 

KING, RUFUS, 103. 

LA FAYETTE, M. DE, 103; mem- 
ber anti-slavery society, 175: 
Washington's reference to, 156. 

LAKE ERIE, fish, 311. 

LAKES, Superior, Michigan, Erie, 
Huron, Ontario, 310. 

LA PRAIRIE DU ROCHER, 305. 

LAI'REL. creek, 286. 

LAWYERS 72; fees of in New 
York, 99. 

LEATHER, 275. 

LIBRARY, public, at Philadelphia, 
145. 

LIME, 152. 

LINEN, mfg., 115, 152, 266, 275. 

LITERATURE, of Boston and 
America, 69: around New 
Haven, 86; poet TYumbull. 86; 
public library at Philadelphia. 
145; Paine and Crawford, 191. 

LITTLE KANHAWA, river, 287. 

LONDONBERRY, linen mfg,, 266. 

LONGEVITY, in U. S., 206, 210. 

I,OWER SHAWNEE TOWN, 298. 

MADISON, JAMES, 101, 179. 

MANUFACTURING, glass in Bos- 
ton, 60: salt, paper, nails, 66; 
distilleries, 66; rivalry between 
states, 66; home made cloth and 
linens, 115; a flouring mill, 115; 
lime, 152; maple sugar indus- 
try, 180; activity after revolu- 
tion, 194; glass, 258; cotton, 
near Beverly, 266; linen, 266; 
kind of in U. S., 275; spinning 
machines, 276; paper, 276. 

MAPLE SUGAR, industry, 180. 

MARKET, at Philadelphia, 146. 
MASSACHUSETTS, 76. 
MARYLAND, observations on, 
256; cotton cultivation, 257. 

MAZZEI, MR.. 232. 

MEDICAL, dispensary, free. 19.";. 



537 



MERCHANTS, of Boston, 59; 
country merchants, 79; at New- 
port, 90; merchandize in Phila- 
delphia, 146: failure of French 
in Philadelphia, 192; dry goods, 
272. 

MIAJWI, (Maumee) river, 299. 

MIAMI, village, 299. 

MIDDLETOWN, CONN., 83; 
beauty of, 86. 

MIFLIN, GEN., 103; speaker of 
house, 148. 

MIFLIN, WARNER, anti-slavery 
champion, 116, 179. 

MILDEW, 153. 

MINEAMI, river (probably Mau- 
mee), 298. 

MINGOTOWN, 289. 

MISSISSIPPI, river, 282, 303. 

MISSOURI, river, 307. 

MOLASSES, 273. 

MONONGAHELA, river, 286. 

MOUNT VERNON, journey to, 
250; visit to Gen. Washington, 
254. 

MUSEUM, at Philadelphia, 145. 

MUSIC, in Boston, 60; in church- 
es, 84. :• 

MUSKINGUM, visit of M. San- 
grain and M. Pignet to, 155, 280, 
295. 

MUSQUITOES, In New Jersey, 
109. 

NAILS, 275. 

NEGROES, school for in Phila- 
delphia, 157: their intellectual 
capacity, 157; general charac- 
ter of in U. S., 169; plan for 
deportation of, 183. 

NEWARK, N. J., 108. 

NEWBERRY, MASS., 26G; ship 
building at, 267. 

NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J., 110. 

NEW HAVEN, CONN., 83; society 
in, 84; taverns at, 84; univer- 
sity at, 86. 

NEW JERSEY, description of, 
110, 276. 

NEW ORLEANS, 284. 

NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, de- 
cline of, 90. 

NEW ROCHELLE, N. Y., birth- 
place of John Jav, 87. 

NEW YORK, Journey to, 76; sec- 
ond visit, 94; its harbor, 94; its 



wheat and other markets, 96; 
cigar smoking, 96; extravagance 
in dress, 97; living cost, 98; 
rapid development, 99; society 
for slavery abolition, 100; jour- 
ney to Philadelphia from, 106. 

NIAGARA FALLS, 310. 

NICARAGUA, canal project, 279. 

NORTH CAROLINA, opposition to 
new constitution, 101. 

OHIO COMPANY, 281. 

OHIO, river, 85; specimens in 
Philadelphia, museum from, 
145; visit to valley of by Mr. 
Saugrain in 1787; visit to Gen. 
Harmer, 155; richness of soil, 
156, 282; description of, 288; 
salt springs on, lead and iron, 
290; pre-historic skeletons 
found, 290; fish, 291; tributai^ 
ies, 294. 

OHIO, valley, Thomas Hutchens 
on, 286; Samuel Wharton on, 
292. 

ONIONS, export of, 84. 

PAINE, THOMAS, 191. 

PAPER, manufacturing, 275. 270. 

PAPER MONEY, evils of, 109; 
discussion of, 112; values, 270. 

PEARS, 268. 

PENN, WM., his first tabernacles, 
111, 187; property of descend- 
ants taken by government, 196; 
his maxims, 225. 

PENNSYLVANIA, 164; prosperity 
of, 194; growth, 195; climate 
and diseases, 202; coal and 
steel, 276. 

PHILADELPHIA, journey to, 
106; arrival at, 111; public li- 
brary at, 145; market at, 146; 
buildings, police, etc., 186; es- 
tablished by Swedes, 187; 
Quaker opposition to luxury, 
190; printers and booksellers, 
192; gazettes, 192; failure of 
French merchants, 192; prisons, 
220; breweries, 276; flour ex- 
ports, 277. 

PHYSICIANS, fees of in New 
YORK; in Philadelphia. 209. 

PIGNET, M., killed in exploration 
of Ohio country, 155. 

PITTSBURG, 155, 260, 288. 



538 



POPE, Mr., inventor of planita- 
rlum. 70. 

POST VINCENT (Vincennes), 
300. 

POTATOES, S3. 

POUGHICEEPSIE, N. Y., 95. 

POWELL, Mr., president of agri- 
cultural society, 145. 

PRE-HISTORIC, skeletons, 290. 

FRESQUILE (Erie, Pa.), 294. 

PRINTING PRESS, at Salem, 265. 

PRISONS, 220. 

PRINSTON, N. J., 110. 

PROVIDENCE, R. I., 89; to Nev- 
port by packet boat, 90. 

QUAKERS, former persecutions, 
62; Penn's first tabernacles at 
Bristol, 111; Warner Miflin, 
116; Quaker funeral, IIS; hos- 
pital work, 123; Samuel Ame- 
land, 142; Anthony Benezet. 
157; George Fox, founder, 159: 
John Woolman, 160; opposed to 
luxury, 190; renewal of busi- 
ness activity, 194; private mor- 
als and manners, 223; their 
dress, 227; reproaches of writ- 
ers, 231; society and principals, 
238; attitude on war, 245. 

RELIGIOUS SECTS, their free- 
dom in Boston, 63. 

RICE, 275. 

RICHMOND. VA., 258; tobacco in- 
spection, 260. 

RIVERS, or creeks, tributary to 
the Ohio — Cenawagy, Bugha- 
loons, French, Licking, Lacomic, 
Tobys, Moghulburgh, Kitum, 
Kish Keminetas, Youghiogeny, 
Beaver, Muskingum, Hockhook- 
Ing, Great Kanhawa. Tattery, 
Red, Great Salt Lake, Ken- 
tucky, Scioto, Little and Great 
Mineaml (Miami), Wabash, 
Shawanoe. Tennessee, 294-303. 

RUMSEY, Mr., steamboat inven- 
tor, 142. 

RYE, N. Y., 87. 

SALEM, MASS., 265. 

SALT, 273; springs on the Ohio, 
290. 

SANDUSKY, river, 298. 

SAUGRAIN, Mr., visit to Ohio 
valley, 1787, 154; to Louisiana. 
156; settles in Scioto, 156. 



SCIOTO COMPANY, 281. 

SCIOTO, river, 297. 

SCIOTO, valley, 15G, 280. 

SHEEP, 83, 268. 

SHENADORE, river, 302. 

SHENADORE, valley, 263; price 
of lands, 263. 

SHIP BUILDING, at Newberry, 
267; ship timber, 2C7, 275. 

SLAVERY, law of in 1788; soc- 
iety for abolition of. 100; prop- 
osition of Dr. Thornton, 104; 
Warner Miflin, frees slaves. 
116; schools for negroes in 
Philadelphia, 157; Anthony 
Benezet, anti-slavery cham- 
pion, 157; treaties against by 
Wm. Burling in. 1718; George 
Fox educational movement in, 
1718, J 59; Judge Sewell's 
work, 159; means used to abol- 
ish, 16] ; laws in different states 
upon, 164; reference to Gen. 
Washington, 174; agitation in 
Congress, 178. 

SMALL POX, 257. 

SOCIETIES, for agriculture, 71: 
medical, 71; humane, 71; for 
slavery abolition. 100; for pro- 
motion of sciences, 100; agri- 
cultural meeting, 144; Hessian 
fly discussed, 145; antl-slavery, 
166; emigrant, 196; Hiberman, 
196. 

SOCIETY, manner of, in Bos- 
ton, 65; table service, 65; men 
in. 75; conditions of in the 
country, 79: brilliance at New 
Haven. 84; Frenchmen and their 
mistresses. 193. 

SPENCER, MASS., 77. 

SPRINGFIELD, MASS., 81. 

SPRINGHILL, PA., 149. 

SPIRITS, importation of. 273, 274. 

STAGE, opportunities in travel- 
ing bv. 1()7. 

STEAMBOAT, trial of, 142. 

STEEL, 275. 

STILES, President of New Haven 
University, 86, 

ST. GENEVIVE (MIssire), 306. 

ST. PHILIPS, 306. 

ST. LOUIS, 306. 

STRATFORD, CONN., 86. 

SUGAR, 273. 



539 



SUSQUEHANNA, 251. 

TAVERN KEEPER, 266. 

TAXES, 150. 

TEA, 273. 

TEMPERANCE, change In habits, 
258 

TENNESSEE, river, 302. 

THORNTON, Dr., plan to deport 
negroes, 183. 

TIMBER, kind of in Ohio valley, 
291. 

TOBACCO, in Virginia, 259; to- 
bacco money, 259; inspection, 
260; use of by Virginians, 261; 
free commerce is desired, 261 ; 
English and Spanish markets. 
202; Ohio and Miss., 2G2; rais- 
ing, 275. 

TRACY, WM., trade in masts, 266, 

TRENTON, N. J., 110. 

TURNIPS, 200. 

UNITED STATES, di.«eases of, 
206; longevity, 206; duration of 
government, 313. 

UNIVERSITIES, first at Cam- 
bridge 1836, 67. 

VOLTAIRE, 186. 

VEGETATION, in Ohio valley, 291. 

VINING, Mrs. 251. 

VIRGINIA, observations, 256; 
crimes in, 258; tobacco raising, 
259. 

WABASH, river, 299. 

WADSWORTH. COL., S2. 

WASHINGTON, GEN., 74; War- 
ner Mlflin visits, 116; as a slave- 



holder, 174 ; visit of M. de War- 
vlUe, 254; as a farmer, 254; im- 
pressions of, 254; his barn and 
plantation. 255; on La Fayette, 
255; Inoculates his negroes, 
257; on temperance, 258. 

WASHINGTON, Mrs., 255. 

WATERTOWN, mfg.. 276. 

WESTERN TERRITORY, 286; 
Thos. Hutchins verifies descrip- 
tion of, 286. 

WESTERSFIELD, CONN., 83. 

WESTON, MASS., 77. 

WHARTON, SAMUEL, on the 
Ohio valley, 292. 

WHEAT, New York as a market, 
96; farmers' supply of, 115; 
damaged by Hessian fly, 145; 
crop of, 150. 

WHEELING, river, 287. 

WILBERHAM, MASS., 80. 

WILD GAME, in Ohio valley, 291. 

WILMINGTON, 250. 

WINES, 65; prices In Philadel- 
phia, 148, 151; Importations, 
273, 274; made from wild 
grapes, 308. 

WOOLEN, 275. 

WOOL, 115. 

WOOLMAN. JOHN, 160. 

WOMEN, social standing in Bos- 
ton. 66; of Connecticut. 84; 
freedom of in society, 85. 

WORCESTER, MASS., 77. 

YALE, university, 86. 

YOUGHIOGHENY, river, 286. 



S40 



INDEX TO CHASTELLUX TRAVELS 



ACADEMY. v,aastellux elected 

member, 423. 
ADAMS. SAMUEL, 389; ciiscus- 

Bion on matters of stale, 4ii4. 
ALBANY, 432. 
ALLEN, ETHAN, 325. 
AMERICANS, language of. 333: 

new settlements, 334. 
ANDOVER, North ami South. 490. 
ANDRE, COL., 358, 359. 
"APALACHIAXS," 449. 
ARMAND, COL., 454. 
ARMY, (see military affairs), pro- 



visions for. 



meeting army 



cattle drivers, 340; doctors of, 
3 44; army huts. 345; prison- 
ers, 345; troop review, 347; 
foraging party. 3 50; how pro- 
visioned. 363; Washington's 
forces reviewed. 368; drag- 
oons, 370; officers food, 370; 
Princeton, Trenton and the 
Delaware passage, 3 81-3 84; a 
desertion incident, 390; opera- 
tions around Philadelphia, 
39S; Washington at White- 
marsh. 412; troops untrained, 
418. 
ARNOLD. BENEDICT, reference 
to, 349, 358, 359; Smith, his ac- 
complice, 360. 
ARNOLD, MRS. BENEDICT, a 

cousin of, 395. 
ARTILLERY, captured from Bur- 

goyne, 336, 412. 
ARTS AND SCIENCES, in U. 

S., 485. 
ASSEMBLY, club meeting, 499; 
card playing stakes not allowed. 
500. 
BAND, military. 369. 
BIRD. Mrs., 475. 
BLUE RIDGES, 462. 
BOSTON, 491. 
BOWLING, Mrs. 465. 
BRANDYWINE, visit to battle- 
field of. 396. 
BUNKER HILL. 492. 
CADWALADER. GEN., duel with 
Mr. Chase, 419. 



CAMBRIDGE, the university, 491, 

497 . 
CHURCHES, visit to. 410. 
CLINTON, GOV. GEORGE, 430. 
CLINTON, GEN. JAMES, 435. 
CLINTON, SIR HENRY, capture 

of Fort Clinton, 355, 492. 
COCK FIGHT, 447. 
COHOES FALLS, 436. 
COLLEGE of William and Mary, 

486. 
COLONIES, analyses of, 481. 
CONCORD, 490. 
CONGRESS, hall of. 390. 
CONGRESS, tavern for members. 

early state lines drawn. 389. 
CONNECTICUT. 325. 
CORNEY, M. De, 327. 
CORNWALLIS, LORD, at Tren- 
ton, 382; at Chaddsford, 40o, 

445; burns booty in Virginia. 

465. 
COWPENS, battle of. 460. 
DUMAS, Mr., 326. 
ENGLISH, church, 411. 
FARMINGTON, 331. 
FISH KILL, 343, 429. 
FOOD, supplies for officers, 370. 
FORTS, Putnam, 352; Wallis, 352; 

Clinton, 355; King's Ferry, 356; 

Stony Point. 356, 358; Mifflin. 

404. 
FRANKLIN, BENJ., note on, 475. 
GREEN, GEN., 462. 
GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS. 325. 
GERMANTOWX, 388. 
GOVERNMENT, functions of. 483. 
HANOVER COURT HOUSE, 440. 
HARRINGTON, 336. 
HARRISON, GOV. BENJ., 472. 
HARTFORD, 330. 
HARTFORD FERRY, 325. 
HAVERHILL. 490. 
HEATH, GEN.. 347, 350, 354. 
HESSIANS, affairs at Trenton. 

384, 402. 
HOG ISLAND, 404. 
HOUSATONICK, river, 339. 
HOWE, GEN. ROBERT, 306, 370. 

373. 



541 



HOWE, GEN. WM., 400, 412; falls 
to trap La Fayette, 414. 

HOWLEY, Mr., Gov. of Georgia, 
395 

HUNTINGDON, MR., President of 
Congress, 387. 

INN KEEPERS, character of, 337. 

JEFFERSON, THOS., a visit to, 
451; analysis of, 452; his deer 
park, 455; meteorological ob- 
servations, 457. 

KING'S FERRY, 356. 

KING'S-TOWN, 379; Washington 
at, 383. 

KNOX, GEN., 366, 368, 374. 

LA FAYETTE, MARQUIS DE, 
358, 360; his quarters, 362; his 
influence, 369; 392, 395, 396; 
how wounded, 401; 412, 414, 
423, 438. 

LA LUZERNE, CHEVALIER de 
385, 387, 390; gives a ball, 
409; 417, 421. 

LAURENS, COL., 386. 

LAUZUN, DUKE de, 326. 

LEGISLATURE, meeting of Mass., 
N. H., R. I., and Conn., 326. 

LEWIS, Mr., 332. 

LEXINGTON, 489. 

LITCHFIELD, 336. 

LITERATURE, Thos. Paine, 419; 
Mr. Wilson, 421; Washington's 
favorite books on war, 429. 

LIVINGSTON, COL., 357, 359. 

MASSACHUSETTS, 325, 486. 

MIDDLEBROOK, 429. 

MIFFLIN, GEN., 385, 392. 

MILFORD, 339. 

MILITARY AFFAIRS, (see 

army) military band, 369; Gei-- 
mantown, 388; military jaunt to 
Brandywine, Chastellux's ver- 
sion of battle, 396; embarrass- 
ing position of Washington, 397; 
La Fayette and Gen. Wm. Howe, 
414; battle of Cowpens, 460; 
Lexington, 489; Concord, 490. 

MOCKING BIRD, 439. 

MONTESQUEIU, MR. de, 326. 

MONTICELLO, home of Jefferson, 
451. 

MORGAN, GEN., 461. 

MORRIS, GOV., 385, 387. 

MOYLAND, COL., 377, 378. 

MUSIC, 413, 421. 



NATURAL BRIDGE, 4C3. 

NELSON, GOV.. 440, 

NEW HAMPSHIRE, 325; method 
of assessment for army support, 
340, 486. 

NEW JERSEY, 378. 

NEWPORT, landing at, 325. 

NEW WINDSOR, 348. 

NORTH, (Hudson) river, 346. 

OFFLY, home of Gen. Nelson, 442. 

PAINE, THOS., 419. 

PATRIOTISM, an incident, 390. 

PENNSYLVANIA, government of, 
386; meeting' of general assem- 
bly, 392; journey into upper 
territory of, 486. 

PETERS, Mr., Secretary Board of 
War, 417. 

PETERSBURG, 464. 

PHILADELPHIA, 385; univer- 
sity of, 392; social affairs, 395; 
views upon, 425. 

"POCAHUNTA" AND POWHA- 
TAN, story of. 406. 

PRESBYTERIANS, 411. 

PRESBYTERIANS, Dutch, 364. 

PRINCETON, university, library, 
raided by English, 381. 

PRINCE-TOWN, 379; Washington 
at 382 

PRISONERS, of war, 345. 

QUAKERS, 410. 

RANDOLPH, E. J., 470. 

REED, JOS., president of the 
state, 385. 

RELIGION, previous to revolu- 
tion, 481. 

RHODE ISLAND, 326. 

RICHMOND, VA., 471. 

SCHUYLER, GEN. PETER, visit 
to, 432; burning of his house, 
437. 

SETTLEMENTS, view, observa- 
tions on, 334. 

SOCIETY, forms observed at a 
ball, 409; music in, 413; sub- 
scription ball, 421. 

SOUTHERN DELEGATES, Chas- 
tellux dines with, 418. 

STARK, GEN., 347. 

ST. CLAIR, GEN., 370, 378. 

STIRLING. LORD, 367, 401. 

SUBSCRIPTION BALL, 421. 

TOTOHAW, falls, 364. 

TOTOHAW, river, 361. 



542 



TRENTON, 379; Washington's af- 

'-'air at, 3S1. 
TRUMBULL, GOV., 328. 
VERMONT, 325. 
VIRGINIANS, their character and 

patriotism, 473, 479. 
VIRGINIA, Chastellux' visit to 

438, 441; economic conditions in 

interior, 450. 
WADSWORTH, COL, 326; (see De 

Warville's Travels, p. 82). 
WASHINGTON, CONN., town of. 

OQQ 

WASHINGTON, GEN., confidence 
in Col. Wadsworth, 327; 356, 
361; visit of Chastellux to, 366; 
review of his army. 368: his 
army diet, 370; Chastellux' 
"portrait" of, 375; affair at 
Trenton, 381; at Princeton, 3S2; 
at Kingston, 383; passage of the 
Delaware, 384; portrait in Con- 
gress hall, 391; at battle of 



Brandy wine, 397; at White- 
marsh, 412; second meeting 
with, 427; his favorite books on 
war, 429; final meeting with, 
500. 

WASHINGTON, LUND, manager 
of Gen. Washington's affairs, 
478. 

WASHINGTON, Mrs., 387. 

WAYNE, GEN. ANTHONY. 356, 
366, 368, 373, 374, 402. 

WEST POINT, 340; expense of 
construction, 353; who planned 
by, 354. 

WHITEMARSH, 412. 

WILLARD, DR., President Cam- 
bridge University, 498. 

WILLIAMSBURG, 438. 

WILSON, Mr., a lawyer, 391. 

WINTHROP, GOV., his journal, 
328 

WITHERSPOOX, DR., President 
Princeton University, 380. 



543 



INDEX TO FERRALL'S "6000 MILES" 



BUFFALO, N. Y., Indians in. 50C. 
CAMP MEETING, 524. 
CANAL, 521. 
CINCINNATI. 51S. 521. 
CLINTON, DE WITT, on Indians, 

507. 
COLUMBUS, OHIO, 51G. 
CRAWFORD COUNTY, OHIO, 507. 

510. 
DELAWARE COUNTY, OHIO. SIC. 
DELAWARE, Indian reservation, 

510; treaty with, 511, 514. 
ERIE, lake, 50G. 
ERIE, PA., (Presque Isle), 506. 
FRANKLIN COUNTY, OHIO, 51C. 
FRAMERS, of Ohio, 523. 
HURON COUNTY, OHIO, 510. 
"HUSKING BEE," 522. 
INDIANS, lands of. 512. 
LAKE fever, 530. 
LAND, offices, 517. 
LAND, prices. 517; pioneer farm. 

520. 
LEBANON, OHIO, 518. 
LITTLE SANDUSKY, 511, 516. 
LOWER SANDUSKY, (Fremont. 

O.). 507. 
MARION COUNTY. 51C. 



MARION, OHIO, 516. 

MIAMI, of the lake, (Maumee 
river), 514. 

MILITIA, muster day. 528. 

OHIO, forest description. 507. 

ONEID. Indian traveler, 515. 

OTTAWA INDIANS, treaty with, 
513 514 

SANDUSKY CITY, OHIO, (Port- 
land), 506, 510. 

SENECA COUNTY. OHIO. 507. 
510. 

SENECA, Indian reserve. 509; a 
tragedy. 509. 

•SHAKING QUAKERS." 518. 

SLAVEHOLDERS, their opera- 
tions. 515. 519. 

TONAWANTA. 506. 

TREATIES, Indian. 513, 514. 

TROLLOPE, Mrs., her bazaar, 521. 

UPPER SANDUSKY, 510. 

WOODLANDS, description of. 516. 

WYANDOT INDIANS, reserva- 
tion, 507; dress, laws, 508; Jack- 
son's manifesto. 509; reserva- 
tion, 510. 

WYANDOT, prairie. 510. 

XENIA, OHIO, 518. 



544 







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